“He’s potentially our best horse” say Emma Stewart

Dominant trainer Emma Stewart has three runners in the Hunter Cup, but her best harness racing horse could be in one of the support races on Saturday night (Feb. 4).

Stewart and co-trainer Clayton Tonkin are hopeful of winning Victoria’s biggest race with Honolua Bay, Hurricane Harley or Mach Dan, but four-year-old Captain Ravishing (Captainreacherous) is the not just the buzz horse of their stable, but Australian pacing as a whole.

Captain Ravishing has raced just 12 times for eight wins, but it’s been his six wins from seven runs since being transferred to Stewart and Tonkin which has set tongues wagging.

Most recently, Captain Ravishing smashed the Melton 2240m track record and won the Breeders Crown 3YO final by a staggering 28.8m on November 19.

“He’s potentially our best horse and could be the best we’ve had if he keeps heading in the right direction,” Stewart said.

Captain Ravishing six wins for Stewart and Tonkin have been by an aggregate of 111.6m at an average of 18.6m.

And the times he’s been running – both overall and sectional splits – are up with the all-time greats of the sport.

His return to racing in Saturday night’s $100,000 4YO Bonanza kick-starts a campaign aimed at two mega races: the $1 million Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 4 and the inaugural $2.1 million TAB Eureka at the same track on September 2.

But the first mission is Australia’s biggest four-year-old race, the Group 1 Chariots Of Fire at Menangle on February 18.

Under the conditions of the race, only victory in Saturday night’s Bonanza will guarantee Captain Ravishing a Chariots Of Fire berth.

In recent years, superstars like Lazarus and Lochinvar Art have won the Bonanza on their way to winning the Chariots Of Fire.

Stewart said Captain Ravishing had thrived during his break.

“You can’t say he’s improved because he was racing so well before the break, but he’s become more relaxed and tractable. He’s an easier horse to do anything with around the stables and that’s a good sign,” she said.

“He’s only had 12 starts so more racing will help him continue to develop as a racehorse, too.”

That’s been the case with Stewart and Tonkin’s best Hunter Cup hope, Honolua Bay.

“The Inter Dominion was the making of him. He’s got so much speed and talent, but it got to a do-or-die stage as far as whether he makes a serious Grand Circuit horse or not and he’s really stepped-up.

“He came through the Inter Dominion the best of all our horses and his last run in the Ballarat Cup was as good as he’s gone in his career.

“We’ve got no concerns about him running out a strong 2760m in a race like the Hunter Cup now.”

David Moran, who won the Hunter Cup two years ago on his own star Lochinvar Art, takes the reins on Honolua Bay.

Stewart and Tonkin’s other runners will be driven by Mark Pitt (Mach Dan) and Nathan Jack (Hurricane Harley).

“Mach Dan will need luck from his (wide) draw, while ‘Harley’ has the sort of perfect trailing draw he needed,” Stewart said.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Australia