ADO’S BOUNTY BAR
McGuinness is sweet on Good Friday raid
ADO McGUINNESS is plotting another successful Irish raid on Britain – at Lingfield on Friday.
And the Co Dublin trainer has booked Hollie Doyle to partner stable star Harry’s Bar, Ladbrokes’ 4-1 favourite for the Betway All-Weather Sprint Championships Conditions Stakes.
“I rang her agent last week and I said, ‘If she’s available, I’ll take her,’” said McGuinness, right, whose six-year-old finished 10th in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia – Doyle won the Turf Cup on Willie Mullins’ True Self on the same card – last month.
“She’s a top-class jockey. I watched her ride Willie Mullins’ horse out in Saudi – I was there at the races – and she’s different gravy.”
Former James Fanshawe trainee Harry’s Bar qualified for the big-money All-Weather
Championships fixture with a third of four to Harpocrates over a mile at Dundalk earlier this month. “It was a case of either running him at Dundalk or Wolverhampton to get him qualified – and we took the easy option just down the road,” added McGuinness, who has saddled
Harry’s Bar to two victories at the Co Louth track, including in the Listed Belgrave Stakes on his stable debut last November.
“Saudi didn’t work out on the dirt but it was worth having a whack at it for the prize money.
“Harry’s Bar is an all-weather specialist. His best runs have always come on the all-weather and he has won round Lingfield as well.
“There’s a lot of hassle in travelling horses to England at the moment, but he’s got a good chance.”
❒ HARRY SKELTON is Coral’s 8-11 favourite for the 2020-21 jockeys’ title after a four-timer at Stratford yesterday.
Skelton scored on Stepney Causeway, Born Survivor, Dan Gun and Get Sky High to trail rival and long-time leader Brian Hughes (6-5), successful on Nightfly at the fixture, by 127-124.