Written by Jessica Owers
The Golden Slipper has been won but the 2-year-old racing scene kept on at Geelong on Tuesday with the highly fancied James Harron colt Cannonball (Capitalist) successful in the second race on the card.
Cannonball, a son of the stakes-winning Snitzel mare Golconda, was a $975,000 purchase for Harron at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and he had crept steadily through two races for trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman before this, his third appearance.
Cannonball as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Ridden by Mark Zahra, the colt was a short-priced favourite in the betting off an experienced resumé that included a fourth to Sejardan (Sebring) in the million-dollar Inglis Golden Gift last preparation. The next fancied was Katsu (Mikki Isle {Jpn}) for Graeme Begg, with the rest in double-digit betting.
From barrier two, Cannonball was lightning-quick from the gates, and he took an early lead with Squad (Shalaa {Ire}) on his outside and the pair of Katsu and Social Conscience (Capitalist) settling behind.
Into the home turn, they kept in that order as the field fanned for room, and in the straight Zahra called for effort. Cannonball took a few strides to get going, but when he did he was confidently away, and he put the race away by 1.75l to second-placed Squad, with Social Conscience 2.75l back to third.
The 1109 metres was ticked off in 1:06.68 on a track rated a Good 4.
Good win hunting
Cannonball was the seventh individual 2-year-old winner of the season for the Anthony and Sam Freedman partnership, and the win was the stable’s 10th this juvenile season.
Cannonball winning at Geelong
It was the colt’s first win in three starts after a debut fifth at Flemington in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. last October, and that fourth to Sejardan at Rosehill the same month.
Trackside, Freedman Racing’s Flemington foreman, Steve Adams, said the valuable colt was going in the right direction.
Steve Adams | Image courtesy of Freedman Racing
“He jumped really well, like he does, and he got quite a nice, easy lead,” Adams said. “He seemed to relax really well, which always helps. He is a beautiful colt, and an expensive colt. James Harron and his investors spent a lot of money and give us some nice horses, so congratulations to them.”
Adams suggested immediate plans for Cannonball’s next appearance.
“He’s a speedy type, and he gives the impression that he goes quite well,” he said. “There’s the Redoute’s Choice (to think about on April 16). Obviously, he’s an expensive colt so we need to get a bit of black type with him, so that would be the next option.”
“Obviously, he’s (Cannonball) an expensive colt so we need to get a bit of black type with him, so that would be the next option.” - Steve Adams
Jockey Mark Zahra said Cannonball was relatively textbook on Tuesday.
“He’d been jumping out well prior to today,” he said. “He improved a lot from last prep and he had the blinkers off today, and he has good, natural gate speed. There was a little bit of pressure early, but he was always really relaxed. He just led by what he had to, and when I asked him he gave me a good kick.”
Capitalist leads
Cannonball was bred by the China Horse Club and sold in the Newgate Farm draft when going to James Harron last year.
He is from an evolving family, with his dam Golconda a winner of the Listed Merson Cooper S. and also a third-place finisher in the G1 VRC Oaks to Set Square (Reset) in 2014.
James Harron
Golconda herself is a half-sister to two stakes winners, namely the dam of the stakes-winning Smart ‘N’ Sexy (Smart Missile) and the Listed Cranbourne Cup winner Sermon (Octagonal {NZ}), and Cannonball is a full brother to Marine One (Capitalist), who won the G3 Rubiton S. last month.
At the time of the colt’s purchase, on Day 2 of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year, Harron said Cannonball had everything about him that suggested Capitalist.
“He was very much like his father, very sharp and very precocious,” Harron said. “I loved the way he handled the Sale. He had a very good attitude towards everything and hopefully he can go nice and early.”
“He (Cannoball) was very much like his father (Capitalist), very sharp and very precocious.” - James Harron
Golconda has a Written Tycoon filly at foot that was born on the final day of winter last year, and she went back to Capitalist last spring, just as the stallion kicked on into his second crop of racing age.
Cannonball was the Newgate sire’s 47th individual winner this season (and the 69th win), and Capitalist sits atop the second-season sires’ table by earnings in Australia, some way ahead of Shalaa (Ire) with 30 winners and Star Turn with 28.
He is also some way clear by earnings ($4,314,155), with Maurice (Jpn) and Rebel Dane following him in the $3 million earnings bracket.
Capitalist | Standing at Newgate Farm
