Angel Capital excels in exhibition ahead of Australian Guineas

The Group 1 Australian Guineas is just weeks away and some of the biggest contenders are starting to roar into form.

Angel Capital –the current betting favourite– showed his class this week with an impressive exhibition run at Cranbourne alongside his stablemate Acid Wash.

Exhibition better than a jump out

After winning the Group 2 Autumn Stakes at Caulfield on February 8, Clinton McDonald wanted to make sure he did the right thing for Angel Capital to get the colt ready for the Australian Guineas.

The trainer could have opted for a jump-out race at Cranbourne on Monday, but felt that Angel Capital was better suited for a low-stakes exhibition run at this stage.

“I think he’s got more out of this,” McDonald explained after the exhibition on Monday.

“At Cranbourne he trots down 800 metres and he’s at the trial, whereas he’s had a 45-minute float ride and a 45-minute float ride home today.

“It takes the juice out of him.”

‘Fantastic’ run for Angel Capital

McDonald’s decision to opt out of the jump-out was vindicated after the exhibition run. The trainer said he liked what he saw and that it bodes well for the Australian Guineas.

“It was fantastic work,” McDonald said.

“He needed to have a strong gallop because he had just done too well since his first-up run. It was an ideal scenario to bring him here, put him under race day conditions, being at the races, the noise, getting the juices flowing.

“He had a nice sweat before the gallop, which I thought he would because he was up on his toes, but the work was very slick.”

McDonald also revealed that most of Angel Capital’s preparation is done. All that’s left is the actual Guineas on March 1.

“He had a gallop on Saturday morning, and this will be his main piece of work leading into the Guineas.”

Yulong buy betting favourite

Angel Capital was initially purchased by Gregory Ho and Upper Bloodstock at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $400,000, but they weren’t his owners for long.

After impressing in multiple Group 2 races and the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, Angel Capital was bought by Yuesheng Zhang’s Yulong Investments earlier this month.

McDonald said of the new investment: “We’re very grateful for Yulong to get on board and buy such a lovely colt, now it’s up to us to get the job done at Group 1 level. I’m pretty confident that we can.”

Angel Capital could get his first Group 1 win next month. He is the current favourite to win the Australian Guineas, with $3.50 chances from most betting sites.

If Angel Capital lives up to his betting odds, he could also make an appearance in the Group 1 All-Star Mile at Flemington on March 8.