Keep Calm and Carry on to the Cup

Jan 25, 2024

It was a much better effort from Team Captain on Saturday at Flemington in Race 2 the Benchmark 78 and the ultimate goal of this campaign remains the Adelaide Cup over 3200m on March 11.

He’s a healthy, happy horse who showed that he still wants to be in the contest and race. While it would have been better to finish closer to the winner he did hit the line well.

Officially, Team Captain finished 8th beaten 5.2 lengths by the winner One Last Kiss and he remains on an Adelaide Cup path.

Helluva Barty Racing at Doomben on 28th Oct 2023

TOUGH FROM THE START

Obviously the idea pre-race was to be midfield or better but from that bad gate with a short run to the first turn at Flemington it was always going to be tricky from barrier 11.

“If we wanted to go with that speed on the inside we would have been stuck 8 wide so Tatum did what she had to do and went back.

At the 1400m we had to make our move but that didn’t happen. So it became a sit and sprint and we all know that Team Captain simply can’t sprint like some of the other horses”

There was plenty to like about the run.” said Trainer Matt Cumani.

Apprentice jockey Tatum Bull claimed 2kgs and found herself further back in the field than she wanted to be.

But she greeted owners post-race with a big smile and was positive about the effort.

“There’s a lot of merit to this run.

We obviously did things a little differently, from the gates there was plenty of speed on the inside and if we went forward we were probably going to get caught wide. So I had to go back and they simply put the brakes on which made it hard.” Tatum said.

Bellinger in the stalls pre-race at Bendigo

“There’s plenty to like about the run”  Trainer Matt Cumani

Hot Spring Gold Racing

HAPPY HORSE

Tatum explained to owners and Cumani post-race that Team Captain was at his strongest going to the line.

“He seemed to have pulled up well and if anything he was difficult to pull up and wanted to go around again.

“He’s a happy boy,” Tatum said.

It’s a sentiment that Cumani agrees with.

“I still have faith in the horse, he still wants to do it, he’s just not a superstar and he is getting older. But he can still perform given the right circumstances.” Cumani said.

Talk of any retirement for the Captain is premature at this stage.

“He was difficult to pull up and wanted to go around again”  Jockey Tatum Bull

WHAT’S NEXT

Well, the Adelaide Cup is still 6 weeks away, so Matt will find another race in between for Team Captain.

“What he needs now is 3200m with the speed on up front. Where he can get rolling early and work his way into it and keep going on with it.

“I think the 3200m of the Adelaide Cup should be perfect and we should carry on and continue to work towards that.”

Team Captain did earn $2,600 for coming 8th, and that could prove the difference between winning or losing 2nd place in Month 3 where one owner could be winning $5,000, every race and every point is vital in Season 3 of The Racing League, and remember, one owner from the team crowned Season Premiers will win $50,000!

You just never know.. in the meantime we keep calm & carry on to the Adelaide Cup with The Captain where we will no doubt make more magic memories together. Go you good thing!

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BOUNCE BACK FACTOR 

As Tycoons were made aware of, there’s a theory in racing that when a horse suffers from cardiac arrhythmia, “you must back it next start” and they win. 

And that was certainly the message after Cool Jakey suffered cardiac arrhythmia the previous start at Randwick, with Joe Pride telling Tycoons in the pre-race late mail, “Don’t worry about what happened last start, the horse is fine and he looks great,” how right Joe was with Cool Jakey leading all the way.

COOL JAKEY THE KING OF WARWICK FARM 050325

Cool Jakey battling to the line with Emmadella

Cool Jakey trainer Joe Pride, Brave Pride, Jockey Adam Hyeronimus and TK

Trainer Joe Pride and son Brave Pride, Jockey Adam Hyeronimus and TRL Rep TK

HIPPO FROM BARRIER TO BOX

Adam Hyeronimus was having his first sit on Cool Jakey and he rode him a treat. We joked before the race “just go to the front and improve your position” and that’s exactly what he did. 

“He jumped well and found a nice rhythm straight away, he had a nice time so I let him slide early into it at the 600metres so we did go a bit early. 

“He felt fantastic throughout the run and was doing it easily, so I did get a bit of a surprise how quickly he stopped. 

“So maybe I did go too early, but in saying that, maybe seven furlongs is his upper limit. On that effort he’ll be winning again” Jockey Adam Hyeronimus said.

JOE DELIGHTED

“That was good guys” trainer Joe Pride said, with a big smile to a large contingent of NSW Tycoons on Cool Jakey returning to scale. 

“Look it was nice to see him win on a track that wasn’t bottomless wet, it opens up a lot more opportunities for him. 

“In saying that if there was a 1400m for him in a fortnight on a Good track I would probably be reluctant to start him. We need to nurse him through it and the next month – six weeks isn’t going to be easy because it’s carnival time. 

Cool Jakey the king of Warwick Farm with NSW Tycoons

Cool Jakey in the winners circle with NSW Tycoons’ owners

WHATS NEXT – PACK YOUR BAGS

The Tycoons have been very patient with Cool Jakey and their patience has been rewarded. He is building a very nice career record which stands at only 13 starts for 5 wins and a minor placing and is now pushing the $200,000 in prize money. 

‘Jakey’ has initially pulled up well, but we all know that he is a delicate soul and has to be treated with kindness and Joe is reluctant to push him too hard too quickly. Which is fair enough. 

“We might even consider travelling him maybe to Melbourne or Brisbane for a wet track, we just need to look after him.

“He’s been a good horse for us, we will look after him and his best opportunities will come in the Winter,” Joe concluded. 

Congratulations to all NSW Tycoons and winning connections.

Go you good thing!

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