According to co-trainer Michael Kent Jr, Hell Hound might well be a “sassy filly”, but she is undoubtedly talented, taking her record to two wins in as many starts with success at Sandown.
The exciting Phoenix Thoroughbreds homebred, and half-sister to G2 winner Letzbeglam, produced what might yet become her trademark late burst of speed to come from the back of the pack, overcoming hardly ideal conditions in the process.
In an almost carbon copy of her debut effort, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr trainee broke on terms in the 1000m race before jockey Beau Mertens had her relaxed in the second half of the field. Travelling well throughout, she was well in striking distance at the top of the straight before the rider asked her to pick up the leaders. She took a little while to find her feet in the soft ground, but once she did, the Hellbent filly’s talent shone through, and she got up inside the final few hundred yards.
“I think on a good track she would have let down a lot better,” Kent Jr told Racing.com post-race. “I think her wheels spun a little bit and I’d say it was a very messy race. She was in an awkward spot the entire way, so the smaller margin is probably not indicative of how talented she may be. The second horse had black-type already, so I think it was a better win than it looked.”
“She’s very capable of getting black-type now, so we’ll see what’s on the calendar to see if there is something ahead or if we put her away for the spring.”
The view from the saddle is much the same with Beau Mertens, adding that she “took a while to get through the ground” but is “very classy.”