'It's like laying one out for a bet' - Mordred lands second White Turf win

Team GB may not have made it on to the podium yet at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but Milton Harris and Middleham Park Racing are flying the flag in snow sports after Mordred and local heroine Sibylle Vogt won for a second consecutive Sunday at the White Turf meeting in St Moritz.

Concerns about rising temperatures – and thus the safety of the frozen lake on which racing takes place – meant drastically shortened race distances on opening weekend, leading Harris to improvise with an extra run for Mordred ahead of next Sunday's 100,000 CHF (£80,000/€95,000) Grosser Preis von St Moritz.

Harris said: "Normally I would run on the first and last weekend, but because he only ran 800 metres [four furlongs] last week, which was effectively a piece of work, I decided to run again.

"I'm a massive fan of St Moritz and I think it's wonderful socially. But I suspect it could come to the end of its time in the not too distant future because of global warming."

Mordred was bought for 16,000gns with the White Turf meeting his aim, and Harris was understandably delighted with a second success under the Germany-based but Swiss-born Vogt, who last season became the first woman to ride a Classic-winner in any of the established European racing nations.

"Sybille rides for Peter Schiergen – who I know well – and would be the equivalent of Hollie Doyle in that part of the world," said Harris. "The first weekend a lot of the French jockeys were uncertain whether they wanted to ride and when I asked her, she was very affirmative."

Of Mordred, Harris added: "I've been going to St Moritz for many years and I think I know what it takes to win there.

"This horse was bought specifically for St Moritz and had the right profile in that he hadn't won a lot of money in the last 12 months and so avoided too many penalties.

Mordred and Sybille Vogt (pale blue silks) range up on the outside of Arktisz at St MoritzCredit: Swiss-Image Andy Mettler

"It's like laying one out for a bet. It's nice to have the money, but it's also nice to be right."

Harris added: "I feel we've been vindicated in what we set out to do and, to be fair to Middleham Park, they've supported me since I've come back, and they did before. I'm pleased they've been rewarded."

A dozen of the syndicate's owners will be flying out to Zurich and onwards by train to St Moritz next weekend to support Mordred, while Harris will also be in situ, hopefully seeing a well-executed plan come to lucrative fruition.

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