Brett Crawford’s SA Champions Season string have arrived at Summerveld and look to have traveled well.

He said the big horse Captain America, winner of last season’s Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and second in the Grade 1 Champions Cup, would likely go the same route as last year and thus avoid the Vodacom Durban July. He said, “I think it’s just too far and he will have too much weight, so rather stick to the weight for ages.” Therefore, Captain America will likely start in the Grade 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m on Champions Season opening night, a race he finished a narrow fifth in last year. This twice weight for age Grade 1-winning seven-year-old Captain Al gelding has shown no sign of slowing down and has earned a cheque in every one of his last 21 starts.

Sail South (Liesl King)

Sail South, who scored his sole career Grade 1 when winning the Champions Cup last year, will go the same route as Captain America again. However, he will not be receiving 2kg from the latter this year in the Champions Cup as he will now have to carry a 2kg Grade 1 penalty.

An interesting inclusion in the string is Rabada, a twice Grade 1 winner, who has not raced since November 2016, when finishing second last in the Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile. He has been out with an injury and Crawford said, “He is on the road back, but has not had any major gallops yet, so it is a long road back. But he is doing fine.” Crawford said he would likely nominate Rabada for the July.

His two best three-year-olds, Undercover Agent and White River, are with the string. The former is coming off a fine win in the US$500,000 CTS Mile on Sun Met day. This Captain Al colt will be aimed at the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas on Champions Season opening night on May 4. Crawford has his doubts about him staying the 2000m of the Grade 1 Daily News 2000. However, the latter race will be the target of Trippi colt White River, who stayed on in eye-catching style for a half-a-length second in the Grade 1 Cape Guineas. He then disappointed when starting favourite for the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby over 2000m. However, middle distances look to be his game and he should be improving all the time. He will also run in the Daisy Guineas.

Crawford has gone close in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint in two of the last three seasons, finishing second with Gulf Storm in 2015 and second with Search Party last year. The latter, a five-year-old Captain Al gelding, appears to love Scottsville, not surprisingly as he has good early pace and a telling kick. He will be a strong contender for Crawford again this year. However, if the recent six point across the board merit rating raise is taken into account, he is off a merit rating which is four points higher than the one he ran off in last year’s Tsogo Sun, so he is going o have his work cut out.

Sunset Eyes (Candiese Marnewick)

Crawford will also be targeting Sunset Eyes at the Tsogo Sun. This four-year-old Western Winter gelding has won his last four races in KZN, including his last three over the 1200m Tsogo Sun Sprint distance. Two of those last three wins were at Scottsville, so he will have a shout if he manages to get in with a low weight. His current merit rating of 98 includes the obligatory six point raise, so he will likely need to perform well again before the big date on May 26 to ensure a berth.

Crawford could also have a big two-year-old runner at the Festival Of Speed meeting on May 26 in the form of the Australian-bred two-year-old Snitzel colt Traces, who romped to an impressive victory on Sun Met day in the Listed Tattersalls Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1000m.

Crawford had a fine SA Champions Season last year, winning four Grade 1s with four different horses, Captain America, Sail South, Edict Of Nantes and Lady Of The House. The latter pair were both owned by the beleaguered Mayfair Speculators so will not be campaigning for the yard this Champions Season. However, assistant trainer Peter Muscatt will once again be taking care of the string, so the ingredients are there for another fine campaign.

By David Thiselton