Trainer Kelly Schweida is hoping for better luck at the barrier draw for the Group 1 BTC Cup with his smart sprinter Cape Kidnappers after the seven year old drew a horror gate at the Gold Coast last Saturday.
Kelly Schweida is hoping for a good barrier in the BTC Cup for Cape Kidnappers. Photo by Daniel Costello
Schweida scratched Cape Kidnappers from the Group 2 $200,000 SMEG Victory Stakes (1200m) after the Commands gelding drew the outside of the fourteen horse field.
Cape Kidnappers will now have his next run in the Group 1 $500,000 Ubet BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 9.
The Eagle Farm trainer also withdraw his inform three year old Miss Cover Girl from the Group 3 $125,000 Attwood Marshall Lawyers Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) because of the same reason after she came up with barrier fourteen in the original drew.
“Both are fine. I just didn’t want to give them hard runs from wide barriers this early in the winter,” Schweida told AAP.
“Cape Kidnappers only has a short campaign span anyway, so it was no major worry.”
The lightly raced Cape Kidnappers has been plagued by injury throughout his career but has come through a first up second to Rocket To Glory in the Listed $100,000 Adagold Aviation Chief De Beers (1110m) at Doomben on April 11 in fine order.
Cape Kidnappers has only been to the races on seventeen occasions for nine wins and six minor placings because of continuing leg problems.
“It has been well documented that he has had a series of injury problems. It always happens with the good ones,” Schweida said.
Schweida is aiming Miss Cover Girl towards the Group 1 $500,000 Sky Racing Tattersall’s Club Tiara (1400m) at the Gold Coast on June 20 and didn’t want her to have a tough run for a wide barrier early in her preparation.
“Miss Cover Girl would have had to go right back in the field or race wide. I didn’t want to give her a gut buster when our main aim is the Tatts Tiara on June 20.”
Miss Cover Girl has always shown above average ability and was a winner at her first four race starts as a two year old and has won seven of her eleven race starts.
The Monashee Mountain filly scored first up this campaign with a win over 1200m in a benchmark 80 at Doomben on February 28 before finishing fifth in the $150,000 QTIS Open Plate (1400m) at the Gold Coast on March 24.
Schweida then took her to Sydney where she won on the first day of ‘The Championships’ on a heavy track beating Peeping and Matilija in the Group 3 $200,000 Dilmah Tea P J Bell Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 6.
