Bitter loss for boom horse as Troy steers course to JJ Atkins

The hype around Angel Capital was lowered as fellow Victorian colt Bittercreek smashed his maiden status and put his name up in lights as a winter Group 1 contender.

Ben Dorries

2 min read

May 18, 2024 - 3:41PM

Bittercreek storms into Group 1 JJ Atkins contention with victory in the Spirit of Boom at Doomben. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography

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The boom on two-year-old Angel Capital was lowered as fellow Victorian juvenile colt Bittercreek smashed his maiden status and put his name up in lights as a winter Group 1 contender.

Plenty of eyes were on Angel Capital in the Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic (1200m) at Doomben after trainer Clinton McDonald declared during the week the youngster could potentially emerge as one of the best horses he has trained.

Punters didn’t miss Angel Capital as the colt, ridden by Jamie Kah, was strongly backed from $3.60 to $3 after upwards of $4 had been available on race morning.

But the favourite was plain, settling near the back and not making much inroads before finishing fifth.

Meanwhile, Blake Shinn and Bittercreek made for home and scored at $11 – with bookmakers quickly slashing the colt’s price from $51 to $15 for next month’s Group 1 JJ Atkins over 1600m at Eagle Farm.

Not a bad way to break the maiden status!

The $375,000 yearling purchase, Bittercreek, finishes strongly to take out the G2 Spirit Of Boom Classic at Doomben.@blake_shinn | @MaluaRacing pic.twitter.com/tRVIOQFHzQ
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 18, 2024

Bittercreek had been a maiden until Saturday but Troy Corstens – who trains in partnership with his father Leon – was always happy for a showdown with fellow Victorian Angel Capital.

The proof was in the pudding on Saturday and there is only upside to Bittercreek, a young son of Snitzel who had been expected to be running on strongly over 1200m but not necessarily winning.

“We came here thinking the 1200 (metres) might be a bit short as he’d want to stretch out, but he’s a good horse still working it out and he put it all together today,” Corstens stable representative Will Larkin said.

“He’s got a great pedigree.

“It is good to get these sort of races on the way through with bigger things to come.”

Shinn said he had no doubt Bittercreek would be even better over further and predicted the Group 1 JJ Atkins would be right in his sweet spot.

"He's got that bit of X-Factor about him... I had a feeling he could do something like that today."

Bittercreek is a Group 2 race winner âš¡ï¸ pic.twitter.com/tCt98aEeN0
— 7HorseRacing ðŸŽ (@7horseracing) May 18, 2024

“(I was) very confident that this horse was smart,” Shinn said.

“I jumped him out prior to his first start and I had quite an opinion of him.

“He’s such a placid horse and no doubt when he gets to 1400 (metres) and a mile he’ll be better.”

Queensland filly El Morzillo was sent out $4.40 in the Spirit Of Boom and had to make do for second.

But trainer Kelly Schweida and jockey Craig Williams were happy with the run.

“I was happy with this filly, I really wanted to be on her today after riding her in Sydney the start before and she didn’t let me down,” Williams said.

Originally published as Bitter loss for boom horse as Troy steers course to JJ Atkins