On face value it was just a win.
There was no spectacular margin or arrogance around Captains Mistress’ Victoria Cup win.
But it will go down as one of her best for trainer Jason Grimson and Cam Hart.
That’s because they were genuinely worried in the moments leading up to her quest to create history and become the first mare to win the Victoria Cup.
She was in season and her mind was firmly on other things than just racing.
Grimson, who was driving stablemate Our Sunset Delight, saw it first hand out on the track as the horses circled just moments before the start of the race.
“I was very worried when I saw her out on the track just before the race, she was squealing like a colt,” he said.
Hart knew it, too.
“She’d been in season for a couple of days and we were nervous. She certainly wasn’t her usual self, especially in the warm-up,” he said.
A mare who has filled Hart with confidence in every start so far, made him feel a tad vulnerable this time.
Then Hart’s “worst case scenario” unfolded when the speedy and classy Nyack exploded out at start, crossed Captains Mistress and then took the trail on her.
“I didn’t want him on my back because his Inter Dominion final run was huge and he’s so fast, he’s a dangerous horse with that last crack at you,” Hart said.
So, Hart changed tact. He “pinched” an unusually slow and even boring middle half in 59.4sec, to save everything Captains Mistress had on the night to fend-off Nyack in a basically a 500-600m dash home.
For a couple of strides, she looked in danger when Nyack exploded along the sprint lane.
But champions find a way to overcome adversity, in this case biology, and Captains Mistress lifted when challenged strongly to win by 1.3m.
To Grimson and Hart, the win was so much better than it looked to others.
Only they knew she was vulnerable.
They were more relieved than excited.
In that epic Brisbane Inter Dominion final she had to overcome the great Leap To Fame.
This time it was her own body.
Excitingly, it paves the way for Victorians to see a lot more of Captains Mistress early next year.
With the Victoria Cup this year added as the first leg of the $1 million Summer of Glory bonus, Grimson confirmed plans to seriously chase the loot.
So much so, he will cut short Captains Mistress’ upcoming NZ raid to give her time to be primed again for a string of Victorian targets in January/February.
It’s almost certain Victorians will see her next in leg two of the seven-race series, the Bendigo Cup on January 9.
To bag the $1 million, Captains Mistress will need to win another three of the remaining “qualifying” Cups, plus the Hunter Cup.
Bendigo is logical given connections have no appetite to run her from a handicap in the standing start Shepparton Cup a week later.
So, if she wins Bendigo that will leave her needing to win two of the Ballarat Cup (January 23), Cranbourne Gold Cup (January 30) and Kilmore Cup (February 6) to be alive for the bonus going into the Hunter Cup on February 13.
It’s an even harder task than last year’s inaugural bonus series when Leap To Fame won the required three qualifying Cups (Ballarat, Cranbourne and Kilmore) before Swayzee denied him the bonus by beating him in the Hunter Cup.
Ironically, it could be Leap To Fame who is Captains Mistress biggest hurdle to banking the $1 million early next year.
Although the Queensland champion’s Melbourne raid will be much shorter next year, a fourth crack at the Hunter Cup will almost be part of his farewell tour.
And, despite being four months away, it could be the next time they clash.
It’s what fans are hanging out for after that bottler of an Inter Dominion final which saw Captains Mistress tie their ledger at 1-1, but Leap To Fame’s fans bemoan what should have been with a tad more luck.
Until then, the glamour pair heads to NZ to fly the Aussie flag.
Leap To Fame, who cruised to his third win from as many starts this campaign at Albion Park on Saturday night, will have one more lead-up run before flying to Christchurch, via Auckland, on November 1.
Captains Mistress leaves early, this Sunday in fact, to chase the Kaikoura Cup on November 2.
They won’t clash in the NZ Cup on November 10, but Kiwis fans are dreaming they could meet three days later at Addington in the Group 1 NZ free-for-all.
