I was delighted to see CAPTAIN CLAUDE make a winning debut over fences at Fontwell on Sunday in a Class 5 handicap over two and three quarter miles in the colours of Decimus Racing V.
He jumped very well and was given a good ride by Ben Godfrey who produced him with a strong late run to lead after the last fence on his way to beating Maasai Warrior by two and a half lengths.
I liked the way Captain Claude finished his race seven days earlier over hurdles at Ffos Las where he was third behind a well handicapped horse trained by Venetia Williams.
He seemed fine in the following days, enjoys deep ground and had been schooling nicely at home so I took the opportunity to turn him out again quickly at Fontwell where he was successful over hurdles last season.
While Captain Claude has always been a bit one paced over hurdles I am hoping fences will be the making of him and that he can progress given that two of his siblings reached peak ratings around the 130’s.
I’ll give him a short break now after two quick races before looking for a suitable target in three or four weeks.
Congrats to all