Clinton Mcdonald blames trainer error for not having an unbeaten colt as the Melbourne Spring Carnival steps up a notch at Caulfield.
Angel Capital produced an amazing win at Cranbourne on debut in April, and if McDonald had pulled up stumps then, he would have a boom colt on his hands after the three-year-old’s win in the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley first-up on September 7.
Instead, Angel Capital is on the second line of betting for the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Saturday, a race that will test different formlines and bring interstate horses to Melbourne.
After his debut win at Cranbourne, McDonald headed north to Queensland with Angel Capital where the colt struck two wet tracks and underperformed.
“Everyone saw his first win at Cranbourne, and they need to be in the top echelon to do that,” McDonald said.
“It was my stuff up running him on those wet tracks in Queensland.
“If he had that one start and I tipped him out and he won like he did at The Valley, he would have been the boom horse.
“But he’s got those two little blemishes, through no fault of his own, it’s just he didn’t handle the heavy tracks.”
One benefit of the trip to Queensland was warmer climate where Angel Capital was able to get a good fitness base underneath him before returning to Cranbourne.
McDonald said Angel Capital had improved following his first-up win and the trainer was looking forward to seeing him run on Saturday and then press on to the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 12.
McDonald knows that will race will be a tougher contest with the likes of Godolphin pair Broadsiding and Traffic Warden being potential opponents.
But the trainer believes his galloper is up to the task.
“We think he’s a good colt, as good as any going around and on dry ground he will show that,” McDonald said.
“We’re excited to be going to the races on Saturday. There’s different formlines and horses coming down from Sydney which will give us a good indication of where we are.
“Looking at him, he’s a mile to 2000-metre horse, but watching him work, he’s got that electric turn of foot and if he’s able to do that over 1600 and 2000 (metres), we’re really in the picture.
I guess we’ll find that out in the next two, three, four weeks, but we’re happy with how our horse is tracking and wouldn’t change him.”
