Keen to make the most of Sydney’s wet tracks, Joe Pride has confirmed Kaapfever will back up from his narrow second in the Stayer’s Cup in a bid to go one better at Rosehill.
Pride has been monitoring the six-year-old’s recovery from last weekend’s performance behind proven two-miler Sweet Thomas and is satisfied Kaapfever is ready to rumble again in the Agency Real Estate Handicap (2400m) on Saturday.
The gelding relishes rain-affected conditions, posting five of his six wins on wet ground and that statistic might read even better if not for Kaapfever’s racing pattern.
Not only is he a dour stayer, he is also a backmarker and his chances often reliant on tempo.
“That’s why he has ended up with the record he’s got. You love those on-pace horses, they just make their own luck and that’s not so much the case with him,” Pride said.
“But he’s pretty straightforward. The way he races is his personality. He’s a quiet, unassuming guy who just goes about and does his job.
“I’m happy with him and I’m going to run him.”
Stablemate Titanium Power will look to get his campaign back on track in the Quayclean Handicap (1500m) after pulling up with a health issue when eased out of the race at Canterbury last start.
The three-year-old’s prior form had been encouraging, including a Hawkesbury victory in May and a third behind Zell and Papal Warrior at Warwick Farm last month.
“He had heart arrhythmia so he had a genuine excuse and he trialled very well the other day,” Pride said.
“I think he’s going to get better with age and he had been racing really consistently. He’s a nice horse.”
Titanium Power was a $19 chance with TAB fixed odds on Friday with Kaapfever at $8 to win his assignment.
