The $130,000 The Macca’s Run (2800m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day might not carry the prestige of the Epsom Derby, but there is a chance that the winner Team Captain (IRE) may at some stage line up against his Derby-winning brother Serpentine who Lloyd Williams recently purchased.
Team Captain (IRE) has had as many name changes as he has had trainers but seems to be enjoying life in his new home with Matt Cumani.
The 6yo son of Galileo, previously known as T S Eliot and Yulong Captain, made it two wins from as many starts for his new trainer. He had impressed when trotting up with Hamilton Cup on October 9 after ending his stint with Ben and JD Hayes with a hard-fought success at Swan Hill six weeks earlier.
With Blaike McDougall again taking the reins, Team Captain captured Tuesday’s 2800m marathon with the greatest of ease. He defeated the Chris Waller-trained Accountability by three and a quarter lengths with the Phillip Stokes-trained Good Idea a further half-length back in third.
“It’s great to have a winner on Cup Day and particularly for a huge group of owners,” Cumani said.
“I think there’s a couple of thousand people in this horse. I think there’s a few shares available for $200. You can’t fail with a horse like him and he’s going to get better and better.
“It was a bit of a frustrating morning (following the scratching Future Score in the Melbourne Cup), but I always thought that this might be my winner for the day and fantastic to see him go so well.
“He’s a lovely horse and he suits our style of training. He had good form for the previous stable, and I think they did well with him. He’s a horse that’s still got a future.
“He’s from the family of Dylan Thomas, out and out stayers and we saw the way he finished off today. He finished off beautifully but, I think you could even push him forward a bit more, do a little bit more with him and he’d win by further.
“He’s the sort of horse, dare I say it, maybe twelve months time he might be back here on the same day.”
The bluest of bluebloods, Team Captain, can claim to be the winningest of all the foals of the excellent producer, the Group 1 Epsom Oaks runner-up Remember When.
The daughter of Danehill Dancer has been a lifelong partner of Galileo. Besides the Epsom Derby winner Serpentime, she left the Group II winner and Group 1 Nassau Stakes runner-up Wedding Vow, Group III winner and Epsom Oaks third Bye Bye Baby, Group III winner Beacon Rock, and stakes-winner Bound, sold at the 2018 Tattersalls December Sale for 2,200,000gns when in foal to Dark Angel.
Rember When’s current 3yo King Of The Castle was most recently fourth in the Irish St Leger narrowly won by Sonnyboyliston from Twilight Payment.
Remember When is a three-quarter sister to 6-time Group 1 winner Dylan Thomas and a half-sister to Group 1 Newmarket 1000 Guineas winner Homecoming Queen and Group 1 Chevely Park Stakes winner Queen’s Logic, dam of multiple Group II winner and multiple Group 1 placed Lady of The Desert.
