Angel Capital ridden by Ben Melham won the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, hear from the beaten jockeys:
Mark Zahra (Tom Kitten): “He’s going well, just needs to get up in trip.”
Blake Shinn (Evaporate): “Unsure what to make of that. He worked a little bit, sat outside the third horse. He might just be looking for a bit longer, didn’t absorb the pressure and finish so maybe a softer run, 1500, 1600 might be up his alley now.
Ethan Brown (Sepals): “Great effort first up, just beaten by a horse with a run under its belt. He’s bound to take good improvement out of that but very happy with his performance.”
Damian Lane (War Machine): “Unfortunately overraced early today and I think that cost him finishing off better.”
Craig Williams (Lady Shenandoah): “I was pleased with her performance, barrier one, we did no work throughout the race. She was good, she was solid but just had no acceleration change up, that was the difference between winning and running fourth.”
Declan Bates (Warnie): “He’s run super, he just took 200 metres to find his feet early but he came up beautiful underneath me and has run home well.”
Billy Egan (Feroce): “Super run, ready for a mile.”
Harry Coffey (Von Hauke): “He ran well late, just got shuffled back into an awkward position but he really worked home well and he’s better suited to 1600.
Michael Dee (Planet Red): “Never travelled that well in the run, hot tempo but he was expected to quicken up better than that so we’ll see how he comes through.:
Jamie Melham (Sabaj): “I’m happy with this horse. He’s coming on each run, I think in the Toorak if he can draw a gate he’ll run well.”
Daniel Stackhouse (Yellow Jersey): “He’s just racing in the wrong frame of mind this horse, he’s clearly a talented galloper but he’s too fired up coming out of the gates, couldn’t get a position and our race was finished from there.”
Lachlan Neindorf (Regal Award): “So proud of the horse, so proud of the team. Massive effort, he’s a hard horse to deal with and the team’s done a marvellous job. We found the front on what I felt was a cushy enough lead, would’ve liked to get another bit of a breather but that’s just the way my horse is. He’s run a very gallant third, he’ll have his day in the sun.”
Jye McNeil (Sun God): “I thought his effort was solid enough, just found them a little bit sharp over the 1400 at this level but he’ll be better suited at a mile.
Damien Thornton (Persian Spirit): “Ran okay, couldn’t just quicken as well as them at the 600 when they went.”
Patrick Moloney (Recon): “Just dropped the bridle again between the 500 and 300 and that’s where we lost the race basically, whacked away to the line okay after that.”
