Capital Gain a career saver
PAUL Butterworth credits Capital Gain with saving his training career and believes the JJ Atkins victor can win tomorrow’s Winning Rupert Plate at Doomben.
Butterworth has eyes on next year’s ATC Derby (2400m), but wanted a summer campaign to keep Capital Gain in racing shape.
If he wins tomorrow, Capital Gain will chase the $500,000 Summer 3YO Crown bonus and run again in a fortnight. But if he doesn’t, he will be saved for the Vo Rogue Plate on December 30 before going to Sydney.
Opinions were divided on the merit of Capital Gain’s Doomben trial on November 14, when he showed good speed early before fading a little in the straight to run fourth behind Sir Moments.
“I had a lot of people say they thought he was a bit disappointing, which shocked me a bit,” Butterworth said.
“We had brought him up nice and slow. We had only asked him to let down once going into that. I told Jim (Byrne) before the trial I expected him to run the trial upside down and tire late, because he was so fresh, and that’s how it eventuated.
“It was against older horses and they ran good time, so he probably would have won any other trial on the day.”
Butterworth said Capital Gain shifted a plate in the trial and was lame for a day or two after, but since then “he’s jumped out of the ground”.
“Bring It Home Pop and Pierata will be hard to run down over 1200m, but he’s just got the X-factor,” he said.
“He runs down anything in trackwork and hopefully he can do it (tomorrow).
“I’m not afraid of anything with this horse. I wouldn’t be going to Sydney if I was.”
Butterworth has 29 horses in his Eagle Farm stables and said for the first time he could chase the horses he really wanted at next year’s yearling sales.
But not so long ago, it wasn’t looking so bright.
“Six months before the JJ, we were at the crossroads.
“My wife (Michelle) and I talked about it and knew if this horse didn’t measure up to what I think it is, we might be in a bit of trouble,” he said.