Atoning for a luckless last-start defeat, Hello Captain has stretched his record to four wins from six starts at Rosehill, and if he can stretch in distance, trainer Chris Waller says the sky is the limit.
The three-year-old scored over 1300m in Saturday’s Find Your Stakes Winner @ The Chase Handicap, but if he can extend that brilliance to a mile, Waller believes he can feature in much better races.
“In terms of distance, I think he can get to a mile and if he can get to a mile, he can get to a good race. Maybe an Epsom Handicap,” Waller said.
“Timing-wise, it’s hard to predict when he gets there, and distance-wise we’re still learning about the horse.
“But he’s settling better than he has ever settled before and he’s showing a good turn of foot.”
Given time to find his feet by stable apprentice Siena Grima, Hello Captain ($1.65 favourite according to leading betting apps Australia) enjoyed an unimpeded run down to score by 2-1/4 lengths over Sequista ($7.50), who ran her usual honest race, with Attractiveness ($9) third.
The gelding’s win made amends for his last-start fourth to Cheeky Smirk when he was badly strung up for a run before flashing home when finally given clear air.
While Waller believes Hello Captain has the potential to measure up to stakes grade, in the short term he is content for the horse to ply his trade in Saturday company and build his bank account.
“Sydney races, they’re worth $160,000 every Saturday, fifty-two weeks a year,” Waller said.
“It’s hard to knock it back when they’re on every week, so I think we keep going through his grades.
“Maybe he doesn’t have to run every two weeks like we normally do. We can pick out a race in three or four weeks, and we might get longevity out of him that way.”
Hello Captain gave Grima a double after her earlier win aboard exciting two-year-old Omolong, drawing her level with Braith Nock in the race for the Sydney apprentices’ premiership.
