Early G1 Golden Slipper favourite Capitalist (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) was handed his first career defeat in the Mar. 5 G2 Todman S., but the 'TDN Rising Star' put that blemish firmly behind him when winning the Slipper–the world's richest juvenile race with a purse of A$3.5 million–in convincing fashion Saturday. Capitalist was one of the quickest from the gates in barrier two, which was not the case for his stablemate Defcon (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) and the favourite Extreme Choice (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}), who were last as the field raced up the backstretch. Capitalist, meanwhile, found a sweet spot on the rail three lengths off the lead contested by Astern (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) and Sweet Sherry (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}), with fancied Flying Artie (Aus) (Artie Schiller) sitting just off their flanks and one spot ahead of Capitalist on the fence. Sweet Sherry took outright command as the field made the run into the bend, with Extreme Choice still last of all and Capitalist bottled up on the inside. Tipping out a few paths at the top of the lane, jockey Blake Shinn pointed Capitalist through a tiny seam and the chestnut responded with gusto, splitting rivals and taking dead aim on Sweet Sherry at the 300 metre mark. He swept past that rival inside the final 200 metres and had plenty left in the tank to hold off the fast-finishing longshot Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}) by a half-length. The G1 Blue Diamond S. runner-up Flying Artie got up to be third.
Saturday, Rosehill, Australia
GOLDEN SLIPPER S.-G1, A$3,529,500, ATC, 3-19, 2yo, Open Set Weight, 1200mT, 1:10.59, Good.
1–&@CAPITALIST, 56.5, c, 2, by Written Tycoon
1st Dam: Kitalpha (NZ), by Fusaichi Pegasus (USA)
2nd Dam: Compulsion, by Danehill (USA)
3rd Dam: Bold Promise, by Luskin Star (AUS)
'TDN Rising Star' (A$165,000 Ylg 2015 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale) O-James
Harron Bloodstock, Newgate S F, Horse Ventures, Est E G T
Bateman, Mrs B C Bateman, Doyles Breeding & Racing,
Rockingham Thoroughbreds, J A & Mrs F A Ingham, Love
Racing. B-Daandine Pastoral Co Pty Ltd QLD; T-P & P Snowden;
J-B Shinn; A$2,029,500. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0, A$3,508,700.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: B+.
2–Yankee Rose, 54.5, f, 2, All American–Condesaar, by Xaar
(GB). (A$10,000 Ylg 2015 WI Classic Yearling Sale – Summer)
O-S G Darby, M J Royal, Mrs S E Weigall, H C Sharpe, P G Davis,
J Fowler, Mrs H E Sumner, M A Slack-Smith, A C Beckmann, W
M Bell, Ms J E Falls, D G Penno, I F D Thacker, Ms C M McGe;
B-Wexford Farm NSW; T-David Vandyke; J-Z Purton;
A$620,000.
3–Flying Artie, 56.5, c, 2, Artie Schiller–Flying Ruby, by Rubiton.
(A$50,000 Ylg 2015 WI Sydney Easter Yearling Sale) O-Luskin
Park Stud Racing Syndicate (Mgr: P F Whelan), Aston
Bloodstock Syndicate (Mgr: W J Mula), Mrs R J Mula, J M
Whelan, S P Whelan, Ms C Morgan & Ms B M Whelan; B-Mr J
Shannon VIC; T-M G Price; J-D Oliver; A$310,000.
Margins: 0.5 len, 2.3 len, 2.4 len. Odds: 7.00, 20.00, 3.00.
Also Ran: Telperion, Honesty Prevails, Star Turn, Sweet Sherry, Extreme Choice, Quick Feet, Good Standing, Astern, Calliope, Defcon, French Fern, Kiss and Make Up, Scarlet Rain.
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.
Capitalist was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' on the back of a three-length winning debut in Randwick's prestigious Breeders' Plate Oct. 3, and on Saturday he became the second straight Breeders' Plate winner and TDN Rising Star to take the Golden Slipper, following Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) last year. He resumed after a brief break to take Wyong's Magic Millions 2YO Classic–a prep for the A$2 million Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic–and was dominant in the latter event Jan. 9. He thus recorded another milestone Saturday by winning the country's two richest juvenile races, following in the footsteps of Phelan Ready (Aus) (More Than Ready) in 2009 and Dance Hero (Aus) (Danzero {Aus}) in 1994.
Given a summer holiday after solidifying his position as the early Slipper favourite in the Magic Millions, Capitalist suffered a shock upset when second to John Singleton's Kiss And Make Up (Aus) (More Than Ready) in the G2 Todman S. Mar. 5, but James Harron, who formed the syndicate that owns Capitalist and purchased him for A$165,000 as a yearling at Magic Millions last year, said, “all credit to Peter Snowden–after [the Todman] he looked me in the eye and said 'don't panic.'”
Capitalist provided a second Slipper win for Snowden after Sepoy (Aus) (Elusive Quality) in 2011, but a first for the former Darley private trainer since going public and forming a new training partnership with his son Paul in the second half of 2014. The Snowdens also conditioned last year's G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Pride Of Dubai (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), who bypassed the Slipper and won the G1 Sires' Produce S. at The Championships.
“He's shown right from his very first start that he is special,” Snowden said. “Today typifies the opinion we've had of the horse–we'd never lost faith in him. His work on Tuesday was great and I'm just thrilled it's come off today. Today's the day and he's done a great job. Let's just soak up the moment.”
Jockey Blake Shinn, who has ridden Capitalist each time he has gone to post, added, “This is the best feeling ever. I have to take my hat off the team back home at Snowden Racing–Peter and Paul never wrote this horse off after his last-start defeat.”
“You have to have the faith and go into every race with the confidence,” he added. “Full testament to this horse's ability–he's backed up from the Magic Millions and come here today and he gave me one more big performance. We got a great run in transit; he settled so well and he sprinted so hard when I took a needle-eye opening and he really hit the line hard.”
Capitalist was bred in Queensland by Jan Clark, who watched the race at the Magic Millions Gold Coast complex where she sold the Slipper winner while preparing her three-horse Daandine Stud draft for the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Sale that kicks off Monday. An emotional Clark said, “It's a dream come true to breed a Group 1 winner. To see a Queensland-bred horse win the Golden Slipper–it's a breeder's dream. I think it's great for Queensland–we're on our way–and happening now at the time of the Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, it couldn't be better timing.”
Clark also paid credit to bloodstock agent Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock, who picked out Capitalist's dam, the winning Kitalpha, for A$82,500 at the 2012 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, and her farm managers Mark and Sarah McCann.
Golden Slipper success is written in Capitalist's pedigree. Kitalpha is a daughter of dual Group 3-winning juvenile Compulsion (Aus) (Danehill), herself a full-sister to the champion 2-year-old and G1 Golden Slipper winner Merlene (Aus) (Danehill). Capitalist is Kitalpha's second foal. Her Real Saga yearling filly was also snapped up by Harron for A$200,000 at the Gold Coast in January, and she foaled a filly by promising first-season sire Smart Missile (Aus) last year.
Through Daandine Stud, Clark also bred Capitalist's sire Written Tycoon and sold him for A$50,000 at the Gold Coast sale in 2004. Written Tycoon stood last year at Woodside Park for A$19,800, and has enjoyed an increased profile over the past year with four other stakes winners in addition to Capitalist.
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