Assistant trainer Stuart Ferrie said at Summerveld yesterday morning that the four-year-old Captain Al colt had “definitely improved” since returning from Cape Town, where he had three runs and only just failed to add a second career Gr 1 to his record when a photo finish went against him in the Betting World Cape Flying Championships over 1000m.

Ferrie said, “He needed those first two runs in Cape Town after a year long break and was then a bit unlucky in the Gr 1. He is sound and doing very well.”

Captain Of All beat the top class Gr 1 SA Nursery victor Willow Magic when winning the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville as two-year-old. He was then caught late in the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville in soft going, losing by just 0,3 lengths, which proved that he had plenty of class to go with his speed.

After an easy win over 1200m at Kenilworth in his first run as a three-year-old, he had to be laid off for a year and Drier explained earlier this season, “He never had any major issues but had a little stifle injury and then a small joint problem. What he needed was rest and time.”

He proved in need of his comeback run in December last year over 1100m at Kenilworth when showing tremendous pace before fading late. However, in his next start he beat a top class field in the Gr 2 WFA Diadem Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth.

Alboran Sea (right) holds on from Captain Of All – Cape Flying Championship (Liesl King)

The WFA Cape Flying over 1000m was next and all and sundry believed he had caught the speedy Gr 1-winning filly Alboran Sea on the line to get up after producing a magnificent late burst of speed. However, the photo showed that the filly had got her head down at the right time.

Captain Of All was highly impressive in his recent return to the racecourse over 1000m at Scottsville, run in yielding going. A horse can often be seen to be “keen” early in a race, but Captain Of All showed blistering natural speed in the first half of the race and after building up a three length lead against some useful types was then seen to be asking for his head at about the 400m mark. He was telling his rider that he would now like to be let go! He won hands and heels by 7,5 lengths despite conceding 5,5kg to runner up Rich Girl, who was a 2,25 length runner up to Alboran Sea in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson for two-year-fillies over 1200m at Scottsville last season.

Captain Of All will exact revenge on Alboran Sea on Saturday if bookmaker predictions are correct as they have him at 3/1 favourite and the filly at 7/2.

Drier won the Computaform in 2011 with his brilliant sprinting filly Val De Ra who beat the world class What A Winter. He will use the same travel plan for Captain Of All, who will leave on Thursday after having an early morning workout at Summerveld. The colt was due to have his last bit of fast work this morning (Tuesday).

The going for the straight races at Turffontein appears to have favoured the high drawn horses lately, but tends to be variable over a period of time and Captain Of All’s draw of nine in a 14 horse field should allow him to go either way considering his blistering early pace.