Classy Mastercraftsman filly wins on debut

Hand On Heart (3f Mastercraftsman-Insight, by Sadler’s Wells) was unveiled as yet another talented three-year-old for Mastercraftsman when scoring on debut at Limerick on Saturday.

Trained by Fozzy Stack, the Niarchos family-bred filly stormed clear of her opposition to win the mile maiden by two and three-quarter lengths.

Stack is now likely to step her up to black-type company and said: “She will come into her own going 1m 2f or 1m 4f and she should improve. She is a good size and is very well bred: she is out of a Group 1-winning filly who is a half-sister to Dolphin Street and Saffron Walden.

"She'll be lining up in plenty of black-type races as she is owned by breeding and sporting men.”

Meanwhile in a Racing Post stable tour on Friday, trainer Jessica Harrington picked out a pair of Mastercraftsman three-year-olds as her horses to watch this season.

Alpha Centauri (3f Mastercraftsman-Alpha Lupi, by Rahy) is set for a Classic campaign and Harrington commented: “She’s done well over the winter and has filled out a bit and is very strong now… She’s in the Newmarket and Curragh 1,000 Guineas although a decision hasn’t been made on where she’ll go just yet.”

Harrington nominated runaway Gowran maiden winner The King (3c Mastercraftsman-Catch The Moon, by Peintre Celebre) as her dark horse to follow.

“We’re pleased with him. We plan to start him off in early May in a Guineas or Derby trial over a mile to 1m 2f,” said Harrington. “He’s in the G1 Investec Derby and we’d see him more as a middle-distance horse as the season goes on. It was pleasing to see Imaging, who we beat at Gowran last year, come out and frank the form well at Cork.”