Old Bailey seeks G3 Capella Stakes verdict

Consistent four-year-old Old Bailey goes for a fifth dirt success this year on his Pattern debut in the G3 Capella Stakes over six furlongs at Nakayama, Japan, on Sunday, 9 December. 

All four of the To Honor And Serve colt’s victories so far in 2018 have come over the same distance, including when comfortably scoring by a length and a quarter on his latest outing in a Kyoto handicap on 20 October. 

Old Bailey, who is trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida and ridden by Yuji Nakai, was also successful in a Niigata handicap in August and gained a pair of allowance race wins at Hanshin in April and June. 

He ended last year with another impressive display over six furlongs, when readily taking an allowance race at Chukyo in December. 

Old Bailey, drawn in stall six, takes on 15 rivals headed by Copano Kicking, a winner on five of his seven starts, multiple Listed scorer Kitasan Mikazuki, and Tateyama, who is seeking a hat-trick of victories over six furlongs. 

Harry Sweeney, President of Godolphin in Japan, said: “Old Bailey has been incredibly consistent on dirt, winning five six-furlong sprints in the last 12 months, and has absolutely earned his first attempt at a Group race prize. 

“As he was ridden to four of these victories by Yuji Nakai, it would seem that this race is ideally set up for him. 

“However, there are some concerns as his last two pieces of work didn’t quite go to plan - he was much too keen on one occasion and seemed to lack a little bit of sparkle in the other.

“We are therefore just cautiously optimistic.”