Woodruff cool on The Captain’s Tune
THE Geoff Woodruff-trained R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes contender, The Captain’s Tune, has been in Cape Town for six weeks already where he is staying in Adam Marcus’s yard and being taken care of by Woodruff ’s daughter, Lucinda.
The Captain Al gelding was doing his best work late last time out on October 4 in a Graduation Plate over 1 600m, finishing just 1,75 lengths behind Bezanova.
He was receiving 5kg, but as a three-year-old at that stage of the season he was actually 2,5kg worse off with Bezanova than weight for age terms.
Furthermore, Bezanova won the Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile next time out. Therefore, on paper, The Captain’s Tune’s put up a top class performance, but it should be taken into account that Bezanova did need the run and came on a lot for it.
On the other hand The Captain’s Tune was only 0,75 lengths behind the well regarded runner up, Sun On Africa, at level weights.
However, Woodruff was not overly bullish about The Captain’s Tune’s chances on Saturday and said: “He has qualified and we will be taking our chances. That last race signifies that he has talent and he has a good draw (3) and a good rider (Piere Strydom), but the 1 400m will definitely be on the sharp side for him as he is a horse who will soon be looking for 2 000m. There has also been a lot of talk about the Cape horses in the race.”
Meanwhile the yard’s Sansui Summer Cup favourite, the Triple Crown hero, Louis The King, is in “very good” shape.
He ran a flying 0,75 length third in the Charity Mile with topweight under Strydom and Woodruff said: “He has come along nicely since that run and will be ready for the day.”
Woodruff was not too concerned about Summer Cup entry Killua Castle’s 13 length sixth with joint topweight in the Gr2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1 800m on Saturday and said: “I can’t see the form of that race being too important as it came down in buckets before the start and was run in a bog. We knew the more it rained the less chance he would have from that wide draw and with that weight. He ran a nice race and he came out of it well.”