Following an impressive winning debut at Cranborne in April, Angel Capital was not a factor in two stakes races, the Spirit Of Boom Classic and Group II Sires' Produce Stakes, when taken to Brisbane for the winter.
The 3-year-old son of Harry Angel (IRE) made his seasonal debut in Saturday's Listed McMahon's Dairy Mckenzie Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley and could not have been any more impressive.
Ridden by Ben Melham for Clinton McDonald, Angel Capital had few favours in the run. Caught wide and near the tail of the field, the son of Harry Angel (IRE) came with a barnstorming finish to defeat the $900,000 Blue Point (IRE) colt Bosustow by three-quarters of a length with the Proisir gelding Sergeant Major one and a half lengths back in third.
"Well done to Ben," McDonald said. He's done a lot of work on this horse, and also Jamie (Kah), and my staff - Tahini, who looks after the horse, she calls him her boyfriend, and she virtually lives with the horse, so well done to her."
"He’s still learning what it’s about, and we’re still working out whether he’s going to be a sprinter or a middle-distance horse.
“I do have concerns. Is he too brilliant to be a miler? He’s just got that electric turn of foot, and for him to do that today against good opposition is encouraging, and he’s only going to get better.
“He’s a big horse and on this tight track we were a little bit worried about that, but Benny assured me he would get the job done, and he did.
“The next option is the Guineas Prelude and then into the Caulfield Guineas. We’ll see how he pulls up, we’ve got great owners in Gregory Ho and Upper Bloodstock, they’ve been fantastic for my team, they’ve put plenty of horses in my stable and I’m just rapt for them.”
Angel Capital was a $400,000 purchase for Gregory Ho and Upper Bloodstock from the Mill Park Stud draft at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Bred by David Peacock, Angel Capital is the third stakes-winner for excellent broodmare Bahamas after the Group II MVRC Moonee Valley Vase winner Berkeley Square and the Group III ATC Frank Packer Plate winner Senor Toba, who was runner-up in the Group 1 Queensland Derby and third in the Champions and Chater Cup at Sha Tin.
A daughter of Teofilo (IRE), Bahamas was runner-up in the Group III South Australian Fillies Classic and was third in the Group 1 Schweppes Oaks.
Bahamas has a 2-year-old colt by Blue Point (IRE), a $300,000 buy for Lucky Owners from the Mill Park draft at the Inglis Easter Australian Yearling Sale.
Sadly, Bahamas’ Pinatubo filly foal died last spring. The daughter of Teofilo was covered by Blue Point (IRE) in December.
Angel Capital is the 15th stakes-winner for Harry Angel (IRE), who stands at Darley Stud this spring for $38,500.
