Frankel's Hungry Heart Captures Phar Lap Stakes

Hungry Heart earned a legion of fans last season when she won the Group II Sweet Embrace Stakes before a fighting fifth in the Golden Slipper.

The three-year-old season for Frankel's daughter had been one of frustration until she broke through with a last to first performance in Saturday’s Group II Pahr Lap Stakes at Rosehill.

With James McDonald in the saddle, the Chris Waller-trained filly came with a barnstorming finish to defeat The Irishman (Tavistock) by a long-neck with Impecunious (Sacred Falls) a further one and a half lengths back in third.

Last spring, Hungry Heart was second in the Group 1 Flight Stakes, Group II Tea Rose Stakes, and Group II Furious Stakes.

The Par Lap has been a good race for Waller with past winners, including Winx, Foxplay, Unforgotten, Verry Elleegant, and Funstar.

“It’s a good line-up. It’s been a good race just for getting horse’s confidence back,” Waller said.

“There’s no bigger name than Winx. Three-year-old fillies can lack a little bit of confidence when they come back in the autumn, things change, others grow and develop, and it’s just a bit tougher.”

“We’ve found this race as a good stepping stone to get that confidence back, and as you hear me say all the time that confidence is the key with any athlete, especially racehorses.

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uo;We haven’t lost faith with her, and we’ve just stuck to the task. First up, I think it was a wet track, barrier draw, she was three and four wide. Second up, barrier draw on a day that favoured on pace runners. Today we just let her be her, and she did it well.

In two weeks time there’s a Group 1 2000m race, the Vinery. That’s a similar path that we’ve taken with most of them.”

Purchased by Belmont Bloodstock Agency for $300,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Hungry Heart races in the colours of her breeder Yulong Investments.

The striking daughter of Frankel is the first foal of her dam Harlech (GB) who was sold off by Godolphin after failing at her only start in England.

A daughter of the excellent broodmare sire Pivotal, Harlech (GB) was purchased by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock / Yulong Investments for $60,000 gns out of the Godolphin draft at Tattersalls. Put in foal to Frankel (GB) to southern hemisphere time, Harlech (GB) landed in Australia in January 2017.

Harlech (GB) is a half-sister to the Group II-placed Maamora (Dubawi) out of the stakes-winning Azamour mare Zoowraa, from the family of the Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes winner Risen Star.

Harlech (GB) has a 2yo colt by Snitzel and has a yearling filly by Snitzel in the Yulong draft heading to the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale as Lot 328.

Not covered in 2019, Harlech (GB) visited Alabama Express last spring.