The rescheduled $300,000 Group III BRC Fred Best Classic (1350m) brings stakes racing to a Wednesday this week with a field of 17 to go around at Doomben and at the head of the market is a pair of quality colts.
Yulong splashed out earlier this year to buy the Clinton McDonald trained Harry Angel (IRE) colt Angel Capital and then wasted no time transferring him out of that stable to Chris Waller after he was scratched from the Group I VRC Australian Guineas due to a dirty scope.
Angel Capital has won four of seven starts and is three from three first up, so from a good gate and with a trial win under his belt Angel Capital looms as the horse to beat and has been installed favourite.
He is the third Group winner from top producer Bahamas and while his siblings Berkeley Square and Senor Toba have come up short in G1 races, the latter did run second in the 2021 Queensland Derby for the Chris Waller stable before being sold to Hong Kong.
A win or at least a very good showing on Wednesday should see Angel Capital have a crack at G1 company in the $3million BRC Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on June 14 for which he is listed at $17 by Ladbrokes.
A win in that race would put Yulong in the position of having not one, but two Group I winning colts by Harry Angel as they also purchased his other gun three year-old Private Harry, who won the Group I ATC The Galaxy and heads towards $20million Group I ATC The Everest in October.
A six length winner of the Group III Gold Coast Guineas at his most recent outing, the Annabel and Rob Archibald trained Blue Point (IRE) colt Bosustow will have a fitness edge on Angel Capital.
Winner of the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas in January and then second in the Group I BDC Sprint at Te Rapa in New Zealand, Bosustow has been raced sparingly this year, but when he has stepped out he’s made it count with his overall prizemoney haul now topping $2million.
A half-brother to Group I winner Amelia’s Jewel, Bosustow is the best performer in Australia so far for his sire Blue Point, who is not returning to Darley this spring.
Interestingly, both Angel Capital ($400,000) and Bosustow ($900,000) were the highest priced yearlings by their respective sires sold in 2023 and Bosustow remains the overall top seller for Blue Point in the Southern Hemisphere.
While neither have been declared as heading off to stud this spring, both would have credentials to suggest the breeding barn may well lie in their future and particularly if a Stradbroke victory was to unfold.
All eyes on Doomben come Wednesday afternoon!
