The Gareth van Zyl-trained Redcarpet Captain displayed the benefit of gelding at the Vodacom Durban July meeting on Saturday, as well as a drop in trip, when bursting through to win the eleventh race on the card, the Non-Black Type tabGold Sprint over 1200m on the poly under stable jockey Warren Kennedy from a tricky draw of seven.

The Captain Al gelding had drifted out from 8/1 to 33/1.

As a two-year-old he won the Gr 3 Englezakis Protea Stakes over 1100m and then finished second in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville.

This season he has been tried over as far 2000m. The Gr 1 Daily News 2000 was his last run before Saturday’s race.

Van Zyl had brought the Brian Burnard-owned No Worries down from a staying trip to win the Million Mile a week before the July and managed the feat again on Saturday with Redcarpet Captain, who is also owned by Burnard and was bred by Klawervlei Stud.

Van Zyl said about Redcarpet Captain, “We are excited about him again.”

He believed the athletic bay’s future “definitely” lay in sprinting.

David Thiselton