Hello Captain has bounced back from a frustrating previous start to secure his fourth win from six outings at Rosehill. Trainer Chris Waller believes the three-year-old’s potential is limitless if he can develop his stamina.
The gelding triumphed over 1300m in Saturday’s Find Your Stakes Winner @ The Chase Handicap. Waller is confident that if the horse can extend his brilliance to a mile, he could contend in more significant 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.”
Stable apprentice Siena Grima allowed Hello Captain ($1.65 favourite according to leading betting apps Australia) to find his rhythm, and the horse enjoyed a clear run to win by 2-1/4 lengths. Sequista ($7.50) finished second with her typical honest effort, while Attractiveness ($9) took third.
This victory served as redemption for the gelding’s prior fourth place behind Cheeky Smirk, where he was severely hampered before finishing strongly once clear air was achieved.
While Waller sees stakes-grade potential in Hello Captain, he is content for the horse to continue competing in Saturday races for now, focusing on accumulating prizemoney.
“Sydney races, they’re worth $160,000 every Saturday, fifty-two weeks a year,” Waller stated.
“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’s win gave Grima a double, following her earlier success on the promising two-year-old Omolong, and brought her level with Braith Nock in the race for the Sydney apprentices’ premiership.
You can find the best Australian betting sites for this race here: Australian betting sites.
