“I’ve known he was good from the start, he can accelerate on a tickey”, said Andrew Fortune of Kangaroo Jack, the Highveld sprinter who easily won the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m. This was the very smart Querari gelding’s fifth win in a row and sixth from 10 starts. It may be tempting to try him over a touch further, but perhaps his best chance of keeping up the streak is to focus on sprinting given his ability to accelerate instantly.
Captain America, proven at the top level, came back from a rest to out-gallop rivals in the Matchem Stakes at Durbanville. Baritone (s/s 102) flashed a big come-home sectional to get close, with Midnite Zone (s/s 101) running an especially forward race to complete the trifecta. Captain America (s/s 103) should have more to offer over the summer season; after all he has already run Grade 1 standard figures of 108,109 and 110 when at his peak.
Captains Flame (s/s 98 +) held off the jinking stretch run of Goodtime Gal (s/s 97) in the other Grade 3 on the program. Trainer Andre Nel says, “She is a female version of Captain America in running style – a big, strong galloper who likes to race handy. She does settle, so we will try to stretch her out in the Paddock Stakes.” The filly has won five of seven starts and is another to monitor through the Cape feature season. Credit to tremendous stallion Captain Al for siring both these Stakes winners.
Apprentice Dennis Schwarz also deserves a thumbs up. He may have drawn a blank at Scottsville yesterday, but had recorded five wins at the previous three meetings. One of those successes was on Pearl Emblem, who got a big speed figure at her last start. She repeated the treatment in a MR 76 handicap at Greyville on Friday night to round off a neat hat-trick for trainer Paul Lafferty, co-host with fellow trainer James Goodman of the Interbet sponsored Winning Ways TV show.