Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Flashy win for Captain’s Gal

David Thiselton
The Sean Tarry-trained Captain’s Gal, raiding from Gauteng, was weighted to beat her rivals of the same age by five lengths in last Saturday night’s Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1 600m at Greyville and she ran accordingly, pulverising the best fillies from KwaZulu-Natal.
The Dennis Drier-trained three-year-old Case Stated was the only competitor less than 5kg out with her on merit rated terms, being 2,5kg out, but her 97 merit rating was the subject of a recent appeal by Drier, who felt she had not beaten anything of note in her three wins from three starts.
She also had the widest draw of all to overcome.
Punter’s confidence in Captain’s Gal was enhanced in the parade ring where she looked in magnificent shape, lean and mean and a coat that gave away her well-being. She also looked superior to the field on the way down to the start, striding out superbly while looking composed and relaxed.
She had opened at 15-10 but for the brave even her even-money starting price was something of a gift, especially considering she was perfectly drawn in stall two. Case Stated started second favourite at 7-1, but to compound the disadvantage of her wide draw, this was her first outing under lights and somewhere between the parade ring and the track, it got to her.
Having looked good in the parade ring, she was bathed in sweat by the time she made out onto the track. Clarkie’s Promise, the only other horse in single figures at 15-2, also lost some appeal on the way down appearing a bit agitated.
Kevin Shea dictated the race from the off, taking the lead on Captain’s Gal, where she was relaxed and travelling at a comfortable gallop.
In the straight she simply sauntered away from them and was being eased down at the line to win by 3,25 lengths. The Mike de Kock-trained In The Mist, who had found some betting support, shortening from 14-1 to 10-1, emerged from the pack to beat the rest of the field by a further two lengths. She received 2kg from her contemporary four-year-olds as she was sired north of the line and was only foaled down in May of 2006. Smangaliso ran her best race since her lucrative win in the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup of November 2008 to finish third.
Tea Break ran on from behind to just pip Maritime Mist for fourth place.
Captain’s Gal arrived at Clairwood from Gauteng on Tuesday and was on her way back to the Highveld yesterday, where she has another feature race in her sights. Tarry’s Clairwood assistant, Deshone Steyn, who saddled her on the night, rated her the best filly in the yard at the moment.
Her win was another stakes achievement for the unstoppable stallion Captain’s Al, who claimed two of the three countrywide features on offer over the weekend.
Captain’s Gal is owned by Chris van Niekerk and was bred by Normandy Stud.
Tarry and Shea followed up in the next race with another horse, Omega Warrior, who looked in a different division to her rivals in the pre-race formalities.
He cruised home to his third win in succession in the MR78 Handicap over 1 600m.
However, more than a few tote punters in the sizeable crowd were disgruntled after his dividend tumbled from R3,40 to R2,40 after the race had been run.
This was once again the effects of co-mingling as the last minute money from overseas is only reflected after the race has closed.
Tote punters would have felt further aggrieved if having glanced over to the bookmakers boards which had Omega Warrior at priced up at 28-10 at the time of the off. The powers that be need to urgently address this problem, perhaps by closing overseas pools two minutes or so before the off.
Having said that, it does work both ways as the less fancied horses that find places or win tend to return a bigger dividend than was reflected at the off.

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