In the space of just nine months, Captains Mistress has sparked talk about whether she is the best mare this part of the world has seen.
On sheer talent, that’s not surprising.
And the banter will hot up even more if she comes to Melton next month and adds the Victoria Cup to her bulging bounty.
Renowned harness historian John Peck confirmed no mare has won the Victoria Cup, dubbed the Cox Plate of harness racing.
But Captains Mistress will need some longevity, at least another year of doing what she’s doing, to claim top billing in my books.
On talent and ability, she already looks as good as those who have come before her, but the best of them did it time and time again.
In pacing, that would be the Kiwi queen, Blossom Lady, and mighty Aussie mare Tailamade Lombo during my time in the game from the early 1980s onwards.
Switch gaits and the standout trotting girls have been Scotch Notch, Pride Of Petite and, of course, now Keayang Zahara.
All of them did it year after year, albeit Keayang Zahara has been sidelined for much of this season.
And all of them landed several big blows against the boys and continually competed well against them in the biggest races.
History says that seems to be much harder for pacers rather than trotters to do for some reason.
Captains Mistress has done that three times, but twice were against her own age in the Chariots Of Fire and Rising Sun.
Of course, it was that epic Inter Dominion final win in Brisbane on July 18 that stamped her as a champion mare.
She beat Leap To Fame … albeit he was desperately unlucky.
I still give Captains Mistress massive credit for that win, even though she got all the favours in front.
She did obliterate the track record.
And, in the moment when Leap To Fame peeled off her back at the top of the home straight, almost every other horse would have buckled.
But as her driver Cam Hart said at the time: “It then came down to a matter of whether she would tough it out because you knew he (Leap To Fame) would.
“Every time he came at her, she kept finding. She had to be a champion to win and she is.”
That win squared the ledger 1-1 between Captains Mistress and Leap To Fame after the latter beat her in the Miracle Mile back in March.
A rematch will be delicious, but when will it happen?
The Victoria and NZ Cups are a no, so too is the Blacks A Fake.
Maybe the Hunter Cup and, if not, then we may have to wait for the Miracle Mile next March?
Last week’s retirement of Eye Keep Smiling prompted me to think there is something special about a great mare.
Outside of those champions I’ve already listed in Blossom Lady, Tailamade Lombo, Scotch Notch, Pride Of Petite and Keayang Zahara, there are plenty of others who I’ve been lucky enough to watch.
Eye Keep Smiling, with her three Golden Girls and some ripper runs against the boys, is one of them.
Jodie’s Babe deserves a mention, being the last mare to win the Inter Dominion final (1989) before Captains Mistress. She beat some seriously big names that year.
Our Maestro, Village Kid, Luxury Liner and Riverlea Jack were among the beaten brigade.
While Blossom Lady is on a pedestal of her own with those two Hunter Cup wins and so many other big wins and great runs, there have been some other wonderful mares come from NZ in my time.
Think Adore Me, Amazing Dream, Dream About Me, Mainland Banner, Victor Supreme, Lento, to name just a few.
And, of course, Millwood Nike, who was unbeaten in 17 starts across 2022 and ’23 before injury ended her career, could have been anything, too.
We’re so lucky owner Mick Boots decided to change his original plan and race Captains Mistress on for another year, rather than retire to stud.
It’ll be fascinating and exciting to see where she sits with all-time greats this time next year.
