CAPE CRUSADER ROUNDS OFF A MEMORABLE DAY FOR THE TONY AND MADDYSEN SEARS STABLE

By Graham Potter | Saturday, June 22, 2024

Three hours after savouring the joy of their Ipswich Cup win with Red Wave, one of the stable’s favourites, the Tony and Maddysen Sears training partnership signed off the day with a satisfying home town win when Cape Crusader saluted in a BM60 Handicap over 1625m at Toowoomba to, in his own small way, help make June 22 a truly memorable day.

The three-year-old son of Heroic Valour was certainly due for his second career win.

His first win had come in his seventh start in December 2023. That was over 1700m after having steadily built up to that distance which he took on for the first time.

Cape Crusader was given a break from racing after his Maiden win and only resumed four-and-a-half months later on May 9.

In the three starts in this preparation prior to this latest engagement, Cape Crusader finished second (twice) and in third place.

Clearly, he was knocking on the door ... and that door opened with this Toowoomba run, although it took a hard-fought effort in a pulsating finish for the $3.60 second favourite to get the nod from the judge who was called into action after a nail-biter of a close finish.

Cape Crusader jumped well from pole position but the gradually went gave ground to the extent that he went back to settle in fifth place, four-and-a-half lengths off the lead as the field went down the back stretch, all the while tracking Top Boy, the $2.25 race favourite who raced just ahead of the Sears trained runner.

Cape Crusader was in six place at the start of the sweep to the turn, but Nozi Tomizawa quickly had Cape Crusader on the move as the field approached the home turn before he straightened five wide, well placed to strike, with the $9 chance Anyway You Want it setting the target up front ... and kicking on well.

With 150m left to run, Cape Crusader had moved up alongside Anyway You Want It and looked like he would go right past his rival, but Anyway You Want It refused to give in and the latter made Cape Crusader earn the win by ensuring the Sears trained runner had to work all the way to the line to snare victory.

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