Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Sprints have helped Kapil

David Thiselton
Stan Elley felt that the sprint program for the current Cape Sizzling Summer Season has given his charge Kapil a perfect springboard into the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate on Saturday.“He is not a very sound horse so the timing of the Diadem three weeks before the Queen’s Plate means we haven’t had to do too much with him,” said Elley.
“He is doing fine and I am very happy with him. We always have him sound on race day, but looking at his joints I think he is sounder than he was for the two sprints.”
Kapil made his seasonal reappearance on November 14 in the Grade 2 Merchants over 1 200m.
In his favoured yielding going he carried topweight to an ultra impressive two length win over the top class three-year-old sprinter, Villandry, to whom he gave 8kg.
He consequently went into the Grade 2 Diadem Stakes over the same Kenilworth 1 200m course and distance as favourite, but had no luck in the running whatsoever.
Under the circumstances, having found his path constantly blocked, he did well to finish a 3,25-length fifth to Thunder Key.
The seven-year-old Jallad gelding is known for his strong finishing burst and will appreciate the step up to 1 600m.
He is perfectly drawn in three although Elley said, “He likes to come from the back so the draw is never really much of an issue with him.”
The two concerns for Kapil are the likely firm going and the fact that since returning from Dubai he has been beaten five times by Pocket Power in five meetings.
Firm going
“We have had hot baking sun and plenty of South Easters this summer so the ground has dried out and will be firm,” said Elley.
“Kapil prefers the sting out of the ground due to his legs. But there is a nice grass cover and I don’t think he will feel it during the race, so he should be alright.”
Pocket Power has beaten Kapil in the 2008 Diadem over 1 200m and last year’s Queen’s Plate, J&B Met, Gold Challenge and Vodacom Durban July in their last five meetings.
Kapil did get within 1,5 lengths and 1,25 lengths of him respectively in the two 1 600m events though, the Queen’s Plate and the Gold Challenge.
The mile appears to be his best trip and if he runs to his best he should be thereabouts.

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