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August 25, 2007


CAPTAIN’S LOVER REMAINS UNBEATEN IN 3 STARTS IN SOUTH AFRICA,
TEAM VALOR YEARLING PURCHASE EYES GRADE 3 DIANA NEXT MONTH



Captain's Lover was eased down in final furlong to win comfortably by 2 1/4 lengths.
(click on photo to see larger image)
Racing conservatively on a course that received 1 ¼ inches of rain overnight and was officially listed as soft when in fact it was closer to heavy (according to eye witnesses), Captain's Lover remained unbeaten from 3 starts with an easy victory in a handicap against older runners sprinting 6 furlongs this afternoon at Kenilworth race course in Cape Town, South Africa.

Captain's Lover won being eased down by 2 1/4 lengths. It was another 2 lengths back to the third-placed filly. Captain's Lover, a 3yo filly in what is the equivalent of running at the end of January, beat a field of older horses, giving 3 pounds to the runner-up and 5 pounds to the third horse, which is major stuff, based on the scale of weights as provided by The Jockey Club.

The filly opened up nearly 3 ½ lengths with 75 yards remaining, but was eased down. Final time in the sticky going was 1:18 1/5, which would have been decent time for 6 ½ furlongs, not 6, so it was obvious the going was taxing.

"She was tucked in behind the leaders, produced inside the final 300 yards and struck the front very fast," explained Jonathan Snaith, brother of trainer Justin Snaith. "She idled once in front and probably got a little tired in the end, or the margin would have been doubled. She swept to the front like she was really going to draw off, but she undoubtedly needed the race and going was pretty sticky.

"This, of course, bodes well for the future, because she will have gotten plenty from the exercise and will be much fitter next time when we run her back in the Grade 3.”

Bought for less than $30,000 by yours truly at the National Yearling Sale, she was as I stated at the time of syndication "the bargain of the entire sale."

Well balanced and athletic, this daughter of Captain Al is now well on her way to her seasonal goal of winning the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas later in the year. She will run next in the Grade 2 Diana Stakes on September 15 at Kenilworth.