Brett Crawford bullish about Captain America

Journalist: David Thiselton – Gold Circle Publishing Department

Brett Crawford is bullish about his J&B Met candidate Captain America and rates his seven-horse team on the day as having one or two other chances too.



Captain America is doing well and is just being kept ticking over this week. The big horse will attempt to defend the yard’s J&B Met title as Crawford won it last year with Futura.



Captain America has never won beyond 1600m. However, Crawford pointed out he had not given the Captain Al five-year-old many opportunities to prove he stayed the 2000m Met trip. He looked to be the only horse still running at Legal Eagle as they reached the line in the L'Ormarin's Queen's Plate over 1600m. He had to come from a long way back in that prestigious Gr 1 weight-for-age race, after not getting a good start from a wide draw, and was only 2,9 lengths back at the line despite casting a shoe. He is now drawn perfectly in five. In his three attempts at 2000m and beyond to date, he over raced in both the Cape Derby and the Daily News 2000, but was still only 1,25 lengths and 1,4 lengths respectively behind Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate in both. He was then badly hampered at the start of the Vodacom Durban July when beaten five lengths. All of those races were before gelding and perhaps the most significant of Crawford's points was that the big horse had learnt to settle since the gelding. He proved this when leading from start to finish in the relatively slow run Gr 2 Lanzerac Alta Mater Green Point Stakes over 1600m.



Crawford will be trying Gulf Point with blinkers on for the first time in the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships over 1000m and admitted he would likely "get it in the neck" if it brought out improvement, as this horse is already a five-year-old and has a Gr 1 runner up finish to his name. However, it could be a shrewd move as this horse’s record points to him preferring 1200m and he could perhaps do with a little bit of sharpening up over the minimum trip. The Sail From Seattle gelding is honest and consistent and is rated only five points lower than the highest rated Trip Tease. He is officially the fifth best weighted horse in the race and looks to have enjoyed a good build up, so he could be the dark horse. However, he is officially 4.5kg out with Carry On Alice, which will make winning it tough.



Crawford mentioned Morning Light in the second and Vilikazi in the eleventh as two of his best runners on the day as they had been doing especially well.



However, his most popularly supported horse on the day could be his sixth race contestant Zubbadubbadoo, who has a well documented fairy-tale story behind him.

Lets keep to racing lads