Capitalist Odds-On to Break Hoodoo in San Domenico

Peter & Paul Snowden’s gun colt Capitalist is odds-on favourite to break a 25 year hoodoo when he runs in his delayed first-up spring assignment in the San Domenico Stakes this Saturday.

Capitalist

Capitalist runs in his delayed first-up spring assignment at Rosehill this Saturday. Photo: Daniel Costello.

The son of Written Tycoon hasn’t raced since posting his half-length win over subsequent ATC Sires’ Produce winning filly Yankee Rose in the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) back in March.

He was down to make his three-year-old debut at Royal Randwick in last Saturday’s Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m).

Capitalist was scratched from the weight-for-age field due to the Heavy (10) track however and saved for a later return this weekend at Rosehill Gardens against his own age in the $150,000 Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m).

Recent history hasn’t been kind to the champions of the world’s richest race for two-year-olds however.

The past three Golden Slipper winners – Overreach (2013), Mossfun (2014) and Vancover (2015) – have all failed to win a subsequent race.

Not only is Capitalist out to break that hoodoo, but his change of first-up runs in the San Domenico Stakes has him looking down the barrel of a separate feat not achieved for quarter of a century.

The last Golden Slipper Stakes champ to win the San Domenico Stakes was Tierce (1991), and before him the only other to achieve the rare double was Sir Dapper (1983).

Last season the since exported Gai Waterhouse-trained Vancouver won the golden Slipper and returned in the San Domenico where he could only manage to finish fourth to the Chris Waller-trained Japonisme (2015) as the beaten $2.10 favourite.

The last Golden Slipper winner to run in the money in the San Domenico meanwhile was Dance Hero for his third behind Charge Forward and Fastnet Rock back in 2004.

The bookmakers are not frightened by the history books however and Capitalist is being kept safe in pre-field San Domenico Stakes betting at an odds-on price of $1.70 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

Since the Slipper the glamour galloper, a winner of over $3.5 million in prize money already, has enjoyed two Randwick trial wins over 850m on Soft going.

He will also reunite with jockey Blake Shinn on the weekend after Kerrin McEvoy was on standby for the Missile Stakes mission at the 51.5kg feather weight.

The favourite will carry a much heftier 60kg at set weights plus penalties in Saturday’s Group 3 showdown, the current heaviest weight he’s carried to victory being 57kg in the Gold Coast’s $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) in January.

After the San Domenico Stakes, Capitalist is unlikely to race again until he returns to Rosehill on September 10 for the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m).

The Rosehill track is currently sitting at a Heavy (8) rating, but is likely to be upgraded into the Soft range by Saturday with no further downpours on the forecast this week.

The main dangers according to the bookies standing in Capitalist’s way on the weekend are the Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes-trained Star Turn and Tango Rain for Gerald Ryan.

Nicely-bred Star Witness colt Star Turn ran fifth in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) and sixth to Capitalist in the Golden Slipper during the autumn.

He has won two recent Sydney trials including at Rosehill on August 2, while Tango Rain is undefeated coming into his stakes’ debut after back-to-back Canterbury wins this winter.

The local Manhattan Rain colt’s last success saw him defeat the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Thronum on July 23, the runner-up franking the form with a Listed The Rosebud win at Randwick last Saturday.

About The Author

Lucy Henderson

Lucy is an experienced horse racing journalist that has been a crucial member of the horseracing.com.au team for the better part of a decade. She has taken great delight in covering champion mares Black Caviar and Winx throughout their careers and always has a soft spot for a winning filly.