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McCabe Dreaming of Breeders Cup for Improving Caspar
23/09/11

The tough as teak two-year-old Caspar Netscher continues to thrive on his racing and added another significant prize to his seasonal haul as he proved too good for his rivals in Saturday's Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury and may well have booked himself a trip to Churchill Downs in November and a crack at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, writes Elliot Slater.

Caspar Netscher
© Racehorse Photos

A true standard bearer for Alan McCabe (and almost certainly the best horse his trainer has handled thus far), the son of Dutch Art had been placed at Royal Ascot earlier in the term in the Windsor Castle Stakes and behind current ante-post 2000 Guineas favourite Harbour Watch in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. He was landing back-to-back successes in Group 2 company having won in fine style at York's Ebor Festival, defeating the useful Lilbourne Lad by over two-lengths to win the coveted Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes.

Sent off 15/8 favourite in the horse betting odds at Newbury under former champion jockey Keiren Fallon, Caspar Netscher took a strong grip in the early stages but then settled well to his task before being asked to improve his position two furlongs from home. Soon taking up the running, McCabe's colt kept on strongly despite edging to his right to hold on from Redact, to whom he was conceding 3lbs.

Fallon expressed himself very pleased with the winner who he described as an unimpressive worker at home, but he feels the horse comes to life once sampling the atmosphere of the racetrack. On that basis he could really find improvement when facing the mammoth crowds at Churchill Downs and McCabe is now very seriously debating whether to send him on the transatlantic trip to attempt a famous victory. Although those betting on horse racing will probably still have doubts about his ability to cut it at the highest level.

Bookmakers didn't get too excited about the success of the Newmarket-based juvenile who remains a 40/1 shot for next year's 2000 Guineas.