Ravishing Quest For Cup Glory

Captain Ravishing. Photo by Stuart McCormick.

SO far so good with comeback star Captain Ravishing.

Australia’s former pin-up pacer made it two wins from as many starts on the comeback trail when he posted another slick time at Melton Saturday night.

Importantly, the race was a free-for-all, which boosted his prospects of getting into what is shaping as a stellar $300,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup field at Melton on October 8.

But trainer Freddy Taiba insists the five-year-old, who boasts 11 wins from 20 starts, needs another run to be primed for a Group 1 test.

“He went well, but he pulled up blowing quite a bit, which says he needed it,” he said.

“It’s understandable after so long out (nine months).”

Captain Ravishing will step into harder company again in the $50,000 Smoken Up Sprint at Melton on Saturday week.

It means another clash with his long-time rival, Catch A Wave, who will use the race as his lone lead-up to the Victoria Cup.

Catch A Wave, who ran a close second in last year’s Victoria Cup, hasn’t raced since posting the eighth Group 1 win of his career in the Len Smith Mile at Menangle on September 7.

In another Victoria Cup boost, trainer Jason Grimson confirmed reigning NZ Cup hero Swayzee would head south for it.

Swayzee returned from a spell with a powerhouse win in front of a huge and excited crowd of locals in The Dish at Parkes last Friday night.

The Dish was the first of five legs of the NSW Carnival of Cups series where Swayzee could bank his connections a $1 million bonus with victory in all five.

Grimson also hopes to have District Attorney and Major Moth in the Victoria Cup.

They will both head to Friday night’s $75,000 Group 2 Kilmore Cup.

Jess Tubbs’ Auckland Cup winner Better Eclipse is another class runner headed towards Kilmore before the Victoria Cup.