Captivant Provides Capitalist First G1 Win in Champagne

Captivant delivered his sire Capitalist his first winner six months ago—and he landed the leading first season stallion his most significant result yet on a racetrack April 24 when he won the Moùt & Chandon Champagne Stakes (G1) at Randwick.

The win over 1,600 meters (one mile) puts Capitalist in good stead to become the highest-earning first-crop stallion in Australian history, with prize money breaking the AU$2 million mark, an achievement Newgate Farm is proud of.

"It's an amazing result for him to have Profiteer and Captivant in his first crop," Newgate managing director Henry Field told ANZ Bloodstock News. "I think the thing that's so special about (Capitalist) is that Profiteer is the fastest 2-year-old in the country and he has now proven to have enough class to have a 2-year-old win a group 1 over a mile.

"To have had a Golden Slipper favorite (Profiteer) and now a Champagne Stakes winner in his first year is the stuff of dreams as a stud master and we are just thrilled."

Captivant races for Field, the China Horse Club, and a group of partners who purchased him for AU$550,000 (US$379,477) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale.

Field recalled how taken he was with the horse back then and described him as the best-looking Capitalist yearling of his year.

"He was a 20 out of 10 on his physical. He was outstanding and now his ability matches his looks," he said.

Captivant brought up trainer Peter Snowden's fifth Champagne Stakes victory, and Snowden's training performance with Captivant was superb. The horse was given a short break in the paddock after his third placing in the Inglis Sires Produce Stakes (G1) and returned a different colt Saturday.

"The freshen-up did him the world of good. It turned his mindset around. He was really good out the back and in the mounting yard and a

good track helped things today," said Snowden. 

Field paid tribute to Snowden and his son Paul for the job they did with getting Captivant to the group 1 winner's circle, and, more generally, acknowledged the work they do year in, year out, nurturing racing colts that have the potential to become stallion prospects.

"(The) Snowdens have trained so many stallions that have stood in our barn and are a big part of the success at Newgate and we are proud of our success with them," he said. "(Peter Snowden) is very good at training colts, and he'd rather keep them as colts than geld them, which is unlike many trainers in this country."

The milestone group 1 win for Capitalist's good-looking son Captivant continues the incredible momentum Field is building around what is an imposing current and future roster of young stallions at Newgate Farm.

Notably, Captivant's win also injected some serious value into his half sister Anne Cecelia, who will be offered by Lime Country Thoroughbreds in foal to Ocean Park at the May 7 Inglis Chairman's Sale.

Kolding Toughs it Out in All Aged Stakes

Dubbed a "quiet achiever" by trainer Chris Waller, Kolding is starting to make a very loud statement through his burgeoning

CV, after he toughed it out Saturday in a grueling finish to win the All Aged Stakes (G1) at Randwick.

The 5-year-old secured his third elite-level victory after holding off the challenge of Godolphin duo Savatiano and the fast-finishing Cascadian  in a thrilling contest, which saw the Redoute's Choice  colt Prague once again fly home from the rear, finishing fourth after backing up from his third placing in the Arrowfield Stud Stakes (G2) last weekend.

Kolding is the flag bearer in the fledgling career of his Waikato Stud stallion Ocean Park, who keeps the All Aged Stakes in the possession of his sire after Tofane's win 12 months ago. His 11 career victories include wins in the Epsom Handicap (G1) and the inaugural running of the Golden Eagle as a 4-year-old, while this season he has claimed the George Main Stakes (G1), Hill Stakes (G2), and All Aged Stakes, a victory which takes his prize-money haul to beyond AU$6 million, placing him among the top 20 earners in  Australian racing history.

"He's a ground-breaking horse with a Golden Eagle, Epsom, and in some pretty good colors as well," Waller said. "He's a good horse that needs good tracks. I think he doesn't get a lot of credit when he's been getting beaten on wet tracks, which has been most of this  preparation.

"He's a much better horse in Sydney on the right leg, so he's a good horse and showed it today."

Asked if he will continue with his campaign, which began with a runner-up effort in the Expressway Stakes (G2) in January, Waller said:

"My word he will (keep coming back for more). Sprinter-miler, I'm not sure if there's much in Queensland, but he'll be back in a Winx Stakes-type race provided we get a good track."

The win was a 125th group 1 victory for Chris Waller, 25 with the great Winx and this a 100th elsewhere, with the trainer gracing the milestone with his usual humility.

"It's pretty good (to achieve 125 group 1 wins). A great achievement and a great team," said the champion trainer.

The silks adorned by Kolding can account for seven of those 100 'other' group 1 wins, with owner Neville Morgan having also won the Doncaster Handicap (G1) and George Main Stakes with Kermadec, while Rangirangdoo added the George Ryder Stakes (G1) to his

Doncaster success in the earlier stages of Waller's training career.

Kolding was sourced by Guy Mulcaster for NZ$170,000 ($123,862) out of the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, the same price paid for Rangirangdoo, and is one of seven winners out of the now deceased mare Magic Star (Danzero), with Kolding a half brother to group 2 winner Sampson and listed scorer Miss Upstart. He is one of three group 1 winners for his sire, and second this season after Ocean Billy's success in the Auckland Cup (G1). Ocean Park stood last season for a fee of NZ$20,000 (plus GST) at Waikato Stud.