Crawford relies on Captain America for another G1 win
SUITED: FRONT-RUNNING TACTICS WILL SUIT SIX-YEAR-OLD AT GREYVILLE ʂ Plum draw could help Marinaresco over trip short of his best.
Brett Crawford will attempt to make it five Grade 1s for the season on Saturday at Greyville when the mellowed six-year-old Captain America revisits a course, which was thought to not suit him as a headstrong three-year-old colt.
However, he will be facing a top class field in the R1-million Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1600m.
Captain America’s class was shown early in his career, but a headstrong tendency soon became evident. He needs to employ handy to front-running tactics at the highest level because he does not possess an instant turn of foot. Gelding and maturity have seen him able to settle nicely in front and he has developed into a dangerous frontrunner. The big gelding is thus back in KwaZuluNatal for the first time for three years. Against him is a high draw and he will need to jump better than he did in the recent Drill Hall Stakes.
Marinaresco clearly loves Greyville and the key is his exceptional turn of foot. He would prefer further than 1600m, but proved his effectiveness over shorter when winning the Drill Hall Stakes. He has a plum draw on Saturday.
Trip To Heaven is another horse with an exceptional turn of foot. The Gold Challenge distance stretches him, but he showed in this race last year his class can carry him to the line as he only lost the race in the boardroom.
Versatile Bela-Bela has been unplaced in both her starts against the boys, but those were in the Vodacom Durban July and the Sun Met and it will be interesting to see whether the coupling of her speed and class makes her more effective against them.
Brazuca finished a narrow second to subsequent Cape Guineas winner Noah From Goa in the Dingaans two years ago, so is a candidate here from a good draw.
His stablemate New Predator was fourth in this race last year, two lengths behind French Navy. and the latter beat him by 1.70 lengths in this year’s Grade 1 weight-for-age Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein. New Predator has been top drawer over 1400m and might now begin to better stay 1600m at a course which suits him, so he can’t be ignored, although a wide draw makes it tough.
French Navy is coming off an identical programme to last year and his performances have been very similar, so he can place again, although his last win was way back in January last year.
Dual Guineas winner Janoobi is the only three-year-old contestant, but has proven himself a dangerous front-runner. – Gold Circle.