Veteran trainer breaks Warwick Cup drought

By Glenn Davis

It took veteran Deagon trainer Sam Strazzieri more than six decades before winning his first Warwick Cup with Capital Asset on Saturday.

The 81-year-old Strazzieri has been training since he was 21, with Capital Asset giving him his first winner in eight months since the gelding scored at the Gold Coast in February.

“I haven’t had many runners at Warwick, but it’s about time I won it,” Strazzieri declared following the gelding’s gutsy win.

“I’ve been training since I was 21 and I’ve won with nearly every horse I’ve trained over the years.”

Strazzieri was born in Sicily before emigrating to Australia as a nine-year-old and has been based at Deagon for more than 30 years.

“I came here by boat with my mother when I was nine and we landed in Melbourne and caught a train to Brisbane,” he said.

“I was a carpet layer by trade and I went to Mount Isa and trained more than 30 winners up there.”

Capital Asset, ridden by apprentice Jess Emmerson, led the Warwick Cup field most of the way before being headed by the Corey and Kylie Geran-trained Last Chance Saloon in the straight.

The seven-year-old son of Capitalist looked likely to fight it out for the minor prizemoney halfway down the straight before digging deep to claw back a narrow win.

Despite the close finish, Strazzieri was never in doubt Capital Asset had won.

“It was tight, but I thought he had won by a neck,” Strazzieri said.

Strazzieri celebrated the win with his family – Jason, Anthony, Dylan and Nicolas Strazzieri – who all share in Capital Asset’s ownership.

The veteran conditioner paid around $20,000 for Capital Asset and is the only horse he has in work.

Capital Asset was previously trained in Victoria by Ciaron Maher after starting his career with Sydney trainer Peter Snowden.

Strazzieri now plans to target the Gympie Cup over 1600 metres later this month with Capital Asset.

“He does a lot of his work on the sand at Deagon, so he should race well around Gympie,” he said.

Earlier, favourite backers came unstuck when the heavily backed Breezin' failed to haul in Angara in the Warwick Newmarket.

Ridden by Kenji Yoshida, the Simon Grimson-trained Angara held off the fast-finishing Breezin' to score by almost one length.

Angara was having only his second Queensland start for Grimson after making his stable debut when second to Linwar in the 1400 metre Talwood Cup last month.

A son of Frankel, Angara came from Paul Perry’s stable with five wins and five placings from his previous 46 starts.

Grimson is in only his third season as a trainer and collected the fourth win of his career with Angara’s victory.

Grimson is the older brother of top harness conditioner and driver Jason Grimson, who recently lifted another Inter Dominion crown when Captains Mistress upset local hero Leap To Fame.

The 34-year-old Grimson has worked as a trackwork rider, clerk of the course and stable foreman for several trainers and clubs across both codes of racing over the years.