Captain Arrow, pictured winning at HWB Durbanville, has won two races over 1000m and was raised six points to a 98 merit rating when a strong-finishing and somewhat unlucky second in the Listed City Of Cape Town Sophomore Sprint over the tough Hollywoodbets Kenilworth 1200m last time out (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Captain Arrow is the dark horse in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas after catching the eye running on strongly over 1200m last time out and now stepping up to a mile for the first time.
The yard also have two other runners including the only filly in the race Red Palace, who has been working with Malan du Toit to sort out her starting stall issues.
Candice said about the Klawervlei Stud-bred Captain Of All gelding Captain Arrow, “Obviously we don’t know whether he is going to get the trip or not but on pedigree he should do, most of them go a mile in that family. He’s a little bit of a dark horse in the race. He was unloucky not to win the 1200m race the other day. He has been working well. We are taking a bit of a gamble but if he does get the trip he will certainly be in the mix.”
Captain Of All was an Equus Champion Sprinter but gets them to stay further with a good example being Linebacker, who was unlucky to not win the Cape Guineas and he went on to win the Gr 1 Cape Derby and Gr 1 Daily News 2000.
Captain Arrow is out of Trippi mare In Other Words, who won seven races from 1200m to 1600m and who finished second in a Listed race over 1600m. Caughtintheslips (Caesour), who won the SA Fillies Classic over 1800m when it was a Gr 2, Captain’s Knock, who won Mauritius’ biggest race the Maiden Cup over 2400m), and Goat (Labeeb), who won the Gr 2 Gold Circle Oaks over 2400m, are some of the members of the family.
Stable jockey Aldo Domyer rides Captain Arrow from draw six out of eleven.
Red Palace, who is a Terry and Annabel Andrews homebred by Potala Palace, has had to be scratched at the start in her last two outings.
She kicked the back of the gate and got her foot caught in her penultimate outing, apparently due to a horse walking in behind her. The memory of that incident saw her refusing to load when more fancied for the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas than her stablemate Beach Bomb was, and the latter went on to win it.
However, Candice believes this talented filly will be alright on Saturday after the work done on her by renowned “horse whisperer” Malan du Toit. Furthermore, Du Toit will be at the start on Saturday to help her in the loading process.
Red Palace won her maiden in her fourth career start by 5,25 lengths when stepped up to 1600m and could have won her next start, in a MR 82 Handicap over 1600m, by many more lengths than the official 3,50 length margin had she not been eased up way before the line. She was running off an 85 that day and it was not surprising the handicappers gave her a maximum raise for a handicap of eight points.
Anthony Andrews rides Red Palace for his parents from draw nine.
Bass-Robinson also runs Jerusalema Rain, a Keivan Stud-bred Captain Of All gelding, who has not shone in two starts in Cape Town to date over 1400m and 1200m respectively. He came with a big reputation having finished second to Guy Gibson, beating Hawkbill, finishing second to Lucky Lad, beating Sandringham Summit and finishing second to Main Defender in five previous starts from 1000m to 1300m when trained by Ashley Fortune.
Candice said, “He hasn’t been showing a lot since he’s been down here but he improved in his second run. He’s definitely turned the corner a bit and is doing much better than what he was. Whether he is quite in that class I’m not sure.”
Raymond Danielson rides Jerusalema Rain from draw three.
Candice’s last big race day was a real roller coaster.
First the yard’s superstar Charles Dickens was beaten in the Gr 2 WSB Green Point Stakes, then Red Palace was scratched at the start and then Beach Bomb came from nowhere to get up in the Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas.
She said about the disappointing run of Charles Dickens, “He was hanging quite a bit in that run so we did some work with him and he strode beautifully this morning so I think I should have him right on L’Ormarins King’s Plate day.”
She said about her chances in the Gr 3 Splashout Victress Stakes over 1800m and the Gr 3 Ridgemont Peninsula Handicap over 1800m on Saturday, “I think I have chances in both races from good draws. Gold Poker Game has improved as a four-year-old, although Brett’s filly (Enemy Territory) is obviously quite decent. The Peninsula is an open race but Sugar Mountain is very consistent.”
The Bass yard have had 60 Gr 1 wins since Candice’s father Mike started out in 1976, but Charles Dickens last year was their first ever win in the Cape Guineas.
