Angel Capital, the luckless favourite in Saturday’s Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m), could still find himself lining up in next month’s $20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick.
Trainer Chris Waller revealed the possibility on Sunday, only minutes after Damien Oliver suggested on Racing.com’s The Verdict that concerns about Angel Capital over-racing had been a factor in his defeat. Speaking live from Carbine Lodge at Flemington, Waller said the high-pressure 1200-metre Everest may prove ideal for the talented four-year-old entire.
“Maybe The Everest,” Waller said. “We’ll have to talk to the team at Yulong and see what they think. He’s a pretty good horse. He had no luck yesterday and he deserves to be running in Group 1s and we’ll have a chat to them about that. There are a few more slots still available and I’d say they’ll be knocking pretty loudly.”
Oliver, who reviewed Damian Lane’s ride on Angel Capital, explained the reasoning behind the positioning during the Sir Rupert Clarke. “I can understand why Damian Lane did what he did because he (Angel Capital) can race a little bit keen,” Oliver said. “His best performances have been in small fields with fast pace and he didn’t want to send him a signal at this part of the race to get onto the back of Feroce.”
Oliver added that while there was an opportunity to settle closer, Lane’s decision was likely made to avoid Angel Capital over-racing. “The horse was already racing a little bit keenly and he’s the type of horse that if you send him a signal, he will want to go. He would have liked to see Damask Rose go forward and come off his back but that didn’t happen.”
With Everest slots still available, connections will now weigh up whether Angel Capital steps into the nation’s richest race, potentially adding more star power to the Randwick feature.
Punters can find the latest odds for Angel Capital in The Everest at Australia’s leading betting sites.
