Crackerjack King: joins Marco Botti after extending unbeaten home record
PICTURE: Hippogroup Rome CapannelleCrackerjack to join Botti after another Rome win
Report: Italy, Sunday
Capannelle: Premio Presidente della Repubblica (Group 1) 1m2f, turf, 4yo+
LAST year's Italian Derby winner Crackerjack King (Stefano Botti/Fabio Branca) signed off from his career in Italy with a decisive defeat of Luca Cumani-trained Afsare and will now join trainer Marco Botti in Newmarket.
Crackerjack King won all seven starts in Italy, meeting the only defeat of his career when everything went wrong for him in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly in June.
Owner Felice Villa, who races hishorses under the name Scuderia Effevi, will now own Crackerjack King in partnership with Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock.
He said: "The horse is in thunderous condition, he went really strong - it will be tough for Marco to beat that."
The winning trainer said: "Kieren Fallon was very strong on the second and took the race by the scruff of the neck, this was a real test for Crackerjack King and he really is a champion. I'm very emotional because he's going to leave soon - I am broken-hearted."
Last year's winner Estejo had set the pace but Fallon took Afsare to the front more than three furlongs out, a move that Fabio Branca was quick to cover.
Crackerjack King was on Afsare's heels approaching the final furlong and quickened to lead soon after and did not take long to put the race to bed, having two and a half lengths to spare over Afsare at the line, with the staying-on Quiza Quiza Quiza a similar margin back in third.
The second British challenger, Sri Putra, was never able to land a blow having been settled in rear from the off.
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