Super-charged win by Captains Mistress in FFA

Captains Mistress (Captaintreacherous) proved she’s a once in a lifetime mare when she blitzed her six rivals including champion Leap To Fame to win the $150,000 Group One ‘Hill Lee & Scott’ NZ Pacing FFA by six and three quarter lengths at Addington today.

“She’s freakishly good and it’s a pleasure to be a part of her career. It was an unbelievable performance to put a great field away like that,” said driver Cam Hart.

From her handy gate the four year old mare trained by Jason Grimson quickly got to the front and with 1300 metres to go Leap To Fame came calling.

“I had to pull the plugs early when he was coming around because she’s so laid back. She was like that at Kaikoura as well. That’s what make her great. She saves all her energy for the run home. She felt great once I got her stoked up down the back. She was just floating on air and felt amazing in the last 600.”

It was her third quarter from the 800 to the 400 in 26 seconds that broke the hearts of the chasing bunch.

“I felt I opened her up a bit between the 1000 and the 600 and she was still pricking her ears at me so I made her go a little bit quicker and got her mind on the job again. It’s just amazing the speed she possesses and the number of gears she has. She just runs those quarters so easily.”

CAPTAINS MISTRESS REPLAY

By the time she turned in, Captains Mistress had gapped the chasing bunch and the Addington crowd stood and clapped the great mare to the finish line and beyond.

“Yeah that was cool to see. To take on a champion like Larry, to do it in that fashion and to see the crowd get excited the way they did was pretty cool. I think they see her as one of their own.”

Her winning time was 2-18.4.

Hart says one thing that makes Captains Mistress so special is her huge lung capacity.

“If you put the camera on her now I bet she’s not even blowing. She has two big gasps after she pulls up and that’s it. You won’t even see her blow.”

When on course presenter Brittney Graham asked Hart where he’d like to see her go next, he replied, “For me I want her to go to the Miracle Mile. It’s the one big race that’s eluded me so far. It would be awesome to be able to get it with her.”

Leap To Fame was brave in running second.

“Obviously he had to do the work again, navigate a bit of traffic and get up near her. She’s just so hard to give a start to over a short course. He never stopped trying and kept going down to the line,” said trainer Grant Dixon.

In winning today Captains Mistress joins an elite group of mares who are household names, on the honours board for the New Zealand Pacers FFA – Blossom Lady in 1992, Bonnies Chance (1982), Armalight (1981) and Stella Frost (1970).

The last four year old to win the NZ Pacing FFA was Captains Mistress’s half brother Merlin.

Interestingly Captains Mistress recorded her first Group One victory at this meeting two years ago when she won the Sires’ Stakes Series Two Year Old Fillies Final.

The win today was her twenty third in thirty four starts and her ninth at Group One level.

She’s out of Imaginary Bet, a Bettor’s Delight daughter of Imagine Me, the first ever Group winning daughter of famed broodmare Scuse Me.

Descendants of Scuse Me have won more than 350 races in New Zealand – 42 at Group One level and have collectively earned over $11 million.

Imaginary Bet is owned by Winton couple Todd and Fleur Anderson. At stud she has also left Merlin (Art Major) and Faith Not Fear (Captaintreacherous) who won his first Group One race on Tuesday. Faith Not Fear is a full brother to Captains Mistress.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink