Golden Slipper winner Capitalist’s racing days have come to an end with the discovery of a small bone chip in his front fetlock and he will now join the stallion list at Newgate Farm.
Golden Slipper winner Capitalist. above, has been retired to stud. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Capitalist proved to be the best two year old during the 2016 Sydney Autumn Carnival with a commanding win in the Group 1 $3.5m Longines Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill but has failed to win at two starts as a three year old.
The Written Tycoon colt resumed for a fourth to Star Turn in the Group 3 $150,000 Smithfield RSL Club San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on August 13 followed by a third to stablemate Russian Revolution in the Group 2 $300,000 The Star Roman Consul (1200m) at Randwick on October 1.
Co-trainers Peter and Paul Snowden were preparing Capitalist to take on the older horses at weight for age in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington last Saturday but were forced to abort those plans when the three year old pulled up sore after galloping on Tuesday morning.
A small bone chip was detected and would require surgery that would have put him out of contention for the Autumn Carnivals next year which influenced the connections to make the decision to retire him immediately and prepare him for the 2017 breeding season.
Team Snowden were convinced that Capitalist would have been very competitive in the Darley Classic and the stable will miss him enormously.
“Capitalist was just the perfect two-year-old, blessed with a huge amount of precocity, ability and an excellent temperament. I am certain that without this injury he would have gone very close in the Darley Classic as his trackwork at Flemington was exceptional,” Peter Snowden said.
“A true professional and a delight to train. We’ll miss him, but now look forward to hopefully one day training his progeny.”
Jockey Blake Shinn was the designated rider for Capitalist and was aboard for the Written Tycoon colt’s Golden Slipper win.
“Capitalist was the best two-year-old I’ve ever ridden, in the Breeders’ Plate it was like driving a Rolls-Royce,” Shinn said.
“He was breathtaking in the Magic Millions and outstanding against a top-class field in the Golden Slipper.”
Capitalist will stand at Newgate Farm in the Hunter Valley and Newgate’s Managing Director Henry Field is excited about having the Champion two year old of his year join their stallion roster that includes Group 1 winners Criterion, Dissident, Sizzling and Wandjina.
“Australia is all about two-year-old racing, and to have a Champion 2YO standing at Newgate is what everyone strives for,” Field said.
“Capitalist is the embodiment of what works in Australia – he will be heavily supported by his group of owners, who make up some of the leading breeders in Australia, to give him every chance of becoming a Champion Sire as well as being a Champion racehorse.”
A well as winning the Golden Slipper, Capitalist’s other major win was the $2m Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast in January and he was a winner of four of his seven race starts with a career earnings of $3,545,900.
