Classic tilt first target for Hotazhell, with Harrington weighing up where and when

Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell is targeting Classic glory on his first start as a three-year-old, but the country of destination is still unclear.

Jessica Harrington’s stable star enjoyed a fine campaign as a juvenile, improving with each run as he claimed three Pattern successes, including the final Group One of 2024 at Doncaster.

“He’s really done well, I think he has furnished well and strengthened up,” Harrington told Tattersalls.

“He’s in the three Guineas, he’s in the English Guineas, the French Guineas and the Irish Guineas, and we’ll just see how he trains and what the ground is like as to which one we go for.

“I’m not certain he’d go on a complete bog if it got really soft.

“He’s got a mile at two. I think a mile and a quarter (will prove to be his optimum) as I’m not certain he’ll get a mile and a half, but then again, he is a very relaxed horse in a race so he might easily – he’ll tell us.

“I don’t think we have to make any big decisions or plans; he’s going to be in all the right races and we’ll just let him dictate.”

The first of Hotazhell’s victories came at Leopardstown in the Tyros Stakes, where he won by a length and half, before trailing Henri Matisse by a length on his next appearance at the Curragh.

Hotazhell returned to the Co. Kildare venue to claim victory in the Beresford Stakes before travelling across the Irish Sea for the Futurity at Doncaster, beating Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix by a nose.

Despite his triumphant end to last season, Hotazhell had only been fourth on his debut at Leopardstown after he got stuck in traffic as Joseph O’Brien’s Scorthy Champ – joint third-favourite for the Newmarket Guineas – scored victory.

Harrington believes that experience was key to his future success.

“We were quite disappointed with his first run because he got beaten – he couldn’t get out,” the Commonstown Stables handler added.

“In a way, it was the making of him because when he couldn’t get out, he had to settle, and he had to then get out and learned much more than if he just cruised around and won.”