Crawford’s string arrives

Brett Crawford’s string have arrived at Summerveld for the KwaZulu-Natal winter season and look to have travelled well.

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.

“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.

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 twotime 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 4 May. 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 for second in the Grade 1 Cape Guineas. –