Neil Evans
A talented Canberra three-year-old who hasn’t quite lived up to his potential is set to make a comeback at Monday’s Sapphire Coast feature meeting.
The lightly raced Go Commando in Danielle Seib’s stable is part of a large and dominant team from the capital again to the far south coast.
In fact, the Canberra horsemen are set to carry the bulk of the prize money and continue successful raids on the southern NSW coast.
Go Commando’s sensational career has been drawing to a close since a stunning first-up win at Albury in early November.
On the day, the son of 2004 Cox Plate winner Savabeel raced home late to beat his peers, before being badly beaten in a Grade 1 at Orange in his only other start of 2025.
Given time and more education, Go Commando bounced back and ran moderately behind a major Grade 1 winner at Goulburn before an improved effort in the Benchmark 58 at Wagga 16 days ago.
But since then, his work has intensified, and with the blinkers on for the first time, he is set to recapture that early excitement when he tackles the 1200m BM 58 Handicap to close the meeting.
With new jockey Shaun Guymer aboard, Go Commando opened better than $6.50 in the early markets behind Kembla’s Ciao Bella Mia at around $4.60, and fellow Canberra visitors Shyamalan ($5.00) and Inchyra ($5.50), along with Victorian striker Bon’s Your Back.
Ironically, with so many Canberra runners on show, Go Commando is set to be the only Seib stable runner. Sacred Inferno, which had been accepted to run in the previous race, was recommended at Sunday’s Gundagai Cup meeting.
Earlier, in the headline BM 66 Handicap over 1005m, another Canberra newcomer is given the chance to raise his strike rate to 50 per cent from eight starts when he returns for the first time since late October.
Pleasurize, a four-year-old daughter of Winning Rupert in Luke Pepper’s yard, has only been out of the money once since her big debut victory at Moruya more than a year ago.
Just after finishing a long and successful first campaign by winning at both BM 58 and Class 2 levels before a successful break.
Tracking head-to-head from a good 4 o’clock, Pleasurize was about $3.80 in early betting behind rival Canberra mare Christmas Star at $3.40.
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