Juvenile duo firing Egan’s winter Classic dreams

feels there is plenty more to come from exciting duo Cathedral and Angelo Buonarroti after both showcased their potential at Newmarket recently.

The Racing-owned pair are both trained by Ralph Beckett and took their place in the recent two-year-old group contests on the Rowley Mile, producing displays that signal a bright future.

Cathedral may have failed to add to her impressive debut success at Lingfield when thwarted by Aidan O’Brien’s Merrily in the Oh So Sharp Stakes, but departed Headquarters having entered many people’s notebooks by the way she travelled stylishly through the contest.

The future looks bright for the €800,000 breeze-up buy, with her big-race pilot excited to see what the daughter of Too Darn Hot can do on better ground in the spring.

“I think Cathedral will be a really nice filly in the spring on a sounder surface,” said Egan.

“I thought she travelled beautifully through the Oh So Sharp and just got beat by a hardened, experienced rival.

“I think on a sounder surface she might have quickened up better and may have put the race to bed, but I’m really excited for her next season.”

A few weeks prior, Convivial Stakes winner Angelo Buonarroti had not been disgraced when third to James Owen’s Wimbledon Hawkeye in the Royal Lodge and having cost €1millio at the sales earlier in the spring, the son of Justify is another fancied to thrive during his three-year-old season.

“Angelo Buonarroti shaped very well in the Royal Lodge and is definitely capable of more considering he has size and scope and was always going to be a better three-year-old,” continued Egan.

“He’s nearly 17 hands and to achieve what he has done at two is quite impressive and I’d like to think there is more to come.

“I’d like to think they will both be running in some sort of trials next year and the races they’ve ran in at two have some strong form in them. They probably deserve to take their places in a trial as long as they winter well.”