Hard One To Please, who completed a remarkable treble of Scandinavia’s biggest races in 2022, set to run in the G3 Glorious Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival
Norway: How good are the best horses in Scandinavia these days? Square De Luynes was so outstanding at home between 2019 and 2021 that he became known as the ‘Frankel of the fjords’ – but he never got to put the form to a test on the international stage.
On the other hand, Hard One To Please, last year’s Horse of the Year in Norway, will be dipping his toe into a bigger pond as he goes for the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate Glorious Stakes at Goodwood on August 4.
The G3 contest was won by subsequent Breeders' Cup winner Rebel's Romance last year, while in 2019 it went to dual Canadian International winner Desert Encounter. As such, it is unlikely to be a soft task for this intriguing visitor, who will be accompanied by the filly Takeko, a dual stakes winner and runner-up in the Norwegian 1,000 Guineas and set to run in handicap company.
Hard One To Please is the big Scandinavian, name, though, and while he will be an unusual contender at Goodwood, he should not be underrated. From a successful Aga Khan family, the four-year-old son of Fast Company completed a remarkable treble last year, when he won the Swedish Derby over 12 furlongs on dirt at Jagersro – at odds of 39-1 – then turned the Norwegian Derby into a procession at his home venue, Øvrevoll Galopp outside Oslo.
On his last start of 2022, he snatched victory with a late rally in the G3 Stockholm Cup International at Bro Park, near Stockholm, touching off the English-trained visitor Outbox, who had won the $1m HH The Amir Trophy in Qatar earlier in the year.
After the Stockholm Cup, jockey Pat Cosgrave suggested it would have been his fault if the gelding had lost the race. “We had a smooth start, but found trouble in running, we got stopped turning for home, and the horse got me out of trouble,” he admitted.
“If he had been beaten it would have been my fault. He is a very good horses – with a clean run he would have won by two or three lengths.”
The Stockholm Cup was his best performance to date, and it made Hard One To Please a big-race winner over three very different tracks. The Swedish Derby was run over a deep, testing dirt track on a day when all times came back really slow, his 11½-length Norwegian Derby win was gained over the undulating, demanding turf course at Øvrevoll, while Bro Park is a flat, US-style turf oval with less emphasis on stamina.
Hard One To Please was given 94kg on the Scandinavian handicap ranking of 2022, making him the highest-rated active horse and a clear number one amongst the three-year-olds in the three countries, ranked 4kg above the more speedy Hotline Bling, who actually ran at Goodwood in 2022, finishing an honourable fifth after serious trouble in running in the G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes.
Hotline Bling has had a good start to 2023, winning a Listed race at Bro Park in June, but Hard One To Please's come back was not so smooth. Foiled by a crawling pace in a small field, he had to settle for third place in the Oslo Cup (Listed) on June 24, beaten a length and three-quarters and a nose behind the front-running outsider Captain Chorus and White Heart.
“The pace was far too slow in the Oslo Cup, and he probably also needed the race,” said trainer Annike Bye Hansen. “I would have liked to have given him a prep run but we had problems with the turf course here in Norway this spring, due to a harsh winter, so all races up to Oslo Cup day were run on dirt!”
Mind you, there is no doubt in the trainer’s mind. “Hard One To Please is by far the best middle-distance horse I have trained,” she said.
“I have had some sprint champions before, like a homebred called Ragazzo, who earned an even higher rating but that was as an older horse and Hard One To Please has reached such a high level so quickly.
“He is very special,” she went on. “In fact, he surprised me when he won the Swedish Derby. I was a little reluctant to run him on dirt, to be honest, and I underestimated him.
“The Swedish Derby was only his fourth career start – he had won once from three outings over 1,600 metres previously, all on turf, and he had finished sixth to Hotline Bling in the Norwegian 2,000 Guineas. So, yes, winning the Swedish Derby came as a pleasant surprise.”
Swedish Derby runner-up Steinar franked the form by taking the valuable Hurricanelöpning by 11½ lengths on his subsequent start.
A mile had obviously been too sharp for Hard One To Please, though. He won his two Derbies and the Stockholm Cup through stamina.
“We have talked about running him over further,” said Bye Hansen. “I think he will stay further than 2,400 metres if we try but the Glorious Stakes seemed a sensible race to target. I know that Goodwood is a tricky course but he has adapted so well to everything new we have thrown at him so far, and I believe he will handle it.
• Visit the Goodwood website
‘Big, ignorant thug’ – Shaquille storms up the rankings with second G1 success in July Cup
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires