Captain's Affair to ship from Ireland for Arl-Wash Futurity

Team Valor International, one of the most recognizable and revered ownerships

in the world, looks to live up the surname it shares with Arlington

International when the group imports Captain's Affair from Ireland for the Grade

3, $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity on September 7. Led by Founder/CEO

Barry Irwin, Team Valor is no stranger to having a good two-year-old at

Arlington. In September 2010, eventual Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner

Animal Kingdom made his debut at the Chicagoland oval.

Captain's Affair is an Irish-bred son of excellent juvenile Captain Rio -- a

joint third for top colt in the 2001 International Two-year-old Classification

-- out of a mare by Arazi's Group 1-winning three-quarter brother Noverre.  

"Captain's Affair has run twice, once before we bought him and once for

us. In his May 8 debut, he scored in a photo finish, setting all the pace,

getting passed and coming back on to score gamely going seven furlongs on grass

at Gowran Park in Ireland for trainer John Murphy," Irwin explained. 

Dismissed at 33-1 that day, the chestnut colt beat horses from such

powerhouse stables as Shadwell and Coolmore, as well as the barns of Irish

legends Jim Bolger and Dermot Weld.

Captain's Affair's form in that win over seven soft and grassy furlongs has

held well in recent months.

"The field (that day) was very useful, including the fourth-place finisher

Wilshire Boulevard, who was beaten a neck in England in the Group 2 Gimcrack

Stakes at York (last Friday) and previously won a Group race in Ireland at the

Curragh," Irwin continued. 

Purchased and given a three-month rest, the colt returned in a salty 7

1/2-furlong affair over good turf.  

"Captain's Affair ran back a couple of weeks ago in a listed race at

Tipperary in which he finished fourth. He was beaten about five lengths by a

special son of Galileo that is unbeaten in a couple of starts for the powerful

Coolmore combine. Our colt was only beaten a half-length for third. In that

race, he was supposed to have followed a couple of horses, but the rider opted

instead to make the pace on him and the colt got very tired in the last

furlong," Irwin reported.  

The winner that day, Indian Maharaja, is now the 16-1 third choice in the

future wagering for the Epsom Derby. 

"Although we were disappointed, that race should set him up perfectly for the

Arlington-Washington Futurity over a mile, which is well within his stamina

profile. If he runs well in the Futurity, we plan to point him for the Breeders'

Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita," explained Irwin, who won the 2010 edition of

that race with Team Valor's homebred Pluck. 

"He worked very well last week and will depart Saturday for Chicago. Murphy

tells us the colt has always trained and breezed well on Polytrack. Murphy will

prepare the colt, but (Team Valor's North American trainer) Rick Mettee and his

staff will take over upon the colt's arrival. James Graham rides," Irwin

concluded.

Irwin and his partners have already tasted graded glory at the current

Arlington meet when promising sophomore Infinite Magic claimed the American

Derby on July 13 in his third stateside start since arriving from Emerald

Isle. Though they have yet to win an Arlington-Washington Futurity, they did

annex Arlington's premier prize, the Arlington Million, in 1993 with one of the

best turf horses of the last quarter-century, Star of Cozzene.

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