Captain Sampson hard to beat at Cambridge

Captain Sampson (Captaintreacherous) will have something of a NZ Cup Day audition when harness racing resumes at Cambridge today.

The Captaintreacherous two-year-old, who has created a big impression with two wins in just three career starts, was a bit of a surprise inclusion in Tuesday’s fields.

But driver Tony Cameron says Captain Sampson’s trainers Brian and Gareth Hughes are doing it with a longer term goal in mind.

“They thought he would benefit from another race and thought they’d give him another go this way round before he heads south (to Addington).”

It’s not Captain Sampson’s first start left-handed, he was third on debut at Cambridge before winning both his Woodlands Stud Sires heats at Alexandra Park in September.

In today’s Melbourne Cup Day at the Raceway Tickets on Sale Mobile Pace Captain Sampson looks a stand out  and has backed into $1.45 on the fixed field markets.

“There are some older race hardened horses in the field and you have to remember he’s only a two-year-old but looking at it he fits into the race well,” says Cameron.

In November Captain Sampson will take on the country’s best two-year-olds in the Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Final on IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup day.

While Captain Sampson will be duking it out at Cambridge today many of his Cup day rivals will be racing each other in Friday’s $200,000 NZB Standardbred Harness Million Pace at Addington.

That field is likely to include the likes of Marketplace, Rubira and Tact Teva.

Cameron, for one, will be looking on from afar.

“That one of Regan Todd’s (Marketplace) looks pretty smart that’s for sure.”

Cameron is looking ahead to being part of Cup week in Christchurch.

“I have never been to Cup week and two years ago I thought I would go to watch but then thought it would be more memorable to drive on the day,” says Cameron, “and that has now come to fruition.”

Cameron is enjoying a successful year with 16 wins including his first ever Group 1 victory with Inasinglemoment in May’s Breckon Farms Northern Trotting Derby.

Today he has four chances to add his winning tally. In addition to Captain Sampson he’ll also drive Chapel Gate in Race 3, Taco Thursday at the Clubhouse Mobile Pace,  and then good each way chances in Regal Girl in Race 6, the Dunstan HorseFeeds Mobile Trot and Inlkouof (for the Hughes) in Race 7, the Betavet Buildagut Mobile Pace.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Dave Di Somma, for Harness News Desk