DARK CASTLE.
12 April 2009.
Dark Angel-True Magic.
Owner-J Cox and E Tasker.
With our yard being a dual purpose yard,sprinters don't often take centre stage, but one with above average ability arrived in 2013.Dark Castle is by the outstanding sire of sprinters, Dark Angel, who only ever raced as a two year old, winning the 'Mill Reef,' and the 'Middle Park,' He is also the sire of seven individual Group 1 winners, including, Battaash, Harry Angel, and Mecca's Angel.
Dark Castle made his debut on the all weather at Kempton in December 2011, for the Sylvester Kirk yard over a mile, weakening quickly from the furlong marker, this was only one of two occasions in the whole of his career he didn't race at six furlongs.The drop back in trip did the trick, as he won two of his next three. He had a three month break before returning in September, 2012, having three more races for the Kirk yard, with his best placing being a second at Kempton, he finished his three year old season, with a mark of 81.
He was gelded and turned away over the Winter, and didn't make his debut for us until the following April, when running like the race would do him good.He improved with each race, and on his fifth start at York in June, with William Buick on board, he had to be snatched up at a crucial time, when looking the possible winner. At Doncaster two weeks later he made no mistake, this time in the hands of P.J McDonald, he won by 3/4 length, at 7/1.
He followed up at Pontefract just 10 days later, taking his official mark to 85, the highest it had been to date.He was placed at York, and Newmarket in his next two runs, and was not beaten far in either of his final two starts that season.
He started the 2014 season at Ripon in April, and once again needed the run to put him straight. He was placed in four of his next five starts, but from marks in the mid 80's, the handicapper was in charge.Running in very competitive sprint handicaps, he wasn't beaten far, but failed to add to the previous seasons tally.
It was an April start again,in 2015 when Dark Castle returned to the track,after seven months away, but this time around something was clearly amiss, as he couldn't get competitive in five attempts.He was then away for a further 10 months, but unfortunately his best days were now behind him, and it was decided that the best course of action was retirement, after his last race at Carlisle in August 2016.
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