Captain Ravishing sparkles in brilliant Ballarat trial

Captain Ravishing (Captaintreacherous) picked up where he left off with a brilliant trial display at Bray Raceway this afternoon (Jan. 24) in what was his first public harness racing appearance of 2023.

The Emma Stewart-trained superstar blitzed his rivals during a searching hit-out in Ballarat, with stewards hand-timing his final mile in quarters of 29.5, 29.0, 27.5 and 28.3.

Caller Michael Taslaman estimated the victory to be in excess of 50 metres, and reports from driver Mark Pitt and stable representative Allan McDonough were glowing in the moments after the trial.

“He felt super,” Pitt said.

“I reckon he’s come back better, but he just needed that little bit of a run leading into next week…”

McDonough said the team back at the stables watched the trial via Facetime and were pleased with what they saw.

“To be honest, he came off and he wasn’t blowing so that’s a good sign,” McDonough said.

Joe Pace-trained pair Supreme Dominator and Forty Thieves finished second and third behind Captain Ravishing, with Jason Grimson’s Abouttime fourth.

The son of Captaintreacherous will be targeted at the Group 2 4YO Bonanza first-up at Melton on February 4, with the winner earning direct entry to the Group 1 Chariots of Fire at Menangle on February 18. A shot at the Miracle Mile is then on the radar.

Captain Ravishing was last seen at the races on November 19 when he smashed the Melton 2240m track record with a near-30m victory in the Breeders Crown Series final for three-year-old colts and geldings.

That took his career record to eight wins from 12 starts and prizemoney earnings up over $170,000.

WATCH THE CLOSING STAGES OF THE TRIAL AND HEAR FROM PITT AND MCDONOUGH BELOW: