Ryan hoping to take command in Civic

Monday 30 June 2014, 4:21pm

Capital Commander will be given the chance to add valuable black type to her name in Saturday's Civic Stakes at Rosehill with trainer Gerald Ryan weighing up options for stablemate Oakfield Commands.

Both are new acquisitions to Ryan's Rosehill base with Damion Flower buying Capital Commander at the recent Sydney broodmare sale and Oakfield Commands formerly prepared by Darren Smith who is out of action pending an inquiry into cobalt use in his Newcastle stable.

Capital Commander weakened on her run at her first start for Ryan at Randwick on June 21, finishing fifth in a 1200m race won by Kristy Lee.

On the same day, Oakfield Commands came from back in the field to win the Winter Dash and spark talk of a start in the Ramornie Handicap at Grafton next week.

"Capital Commander will definitely run in the Civic but I'm not sure yet about Oakfield Commands," Ryan said.

"Capital Commander goes to stud this year so we are trying to get some black type for her.

"We just have to think about Oakfield Commands. The way he raced he won't have any trouble with the 1350 metres but the Ramornie is there for him too."

The $150,000 Ramornie Handicap (1200m) is on Wednesday week, the first day of the two-day Grafton carnival.

The Ryan-trained Ironstein is scheduled to run in the Grafton Cup (2350m) on the second day in what may be the eight-year-old's final start.

Ironstein finished fifth in Saturday's Caloundra Cup (2400m) won by Brayroan.

"If I had known it was going to rain I wouldn't have gone there," Ryan said.

"It rained on race day which is no help to him."

Among Ryan's other runners at Rosehill on Saturday is Zaba Zaba Doo who is coming back to the races as a late three-year-old after injury kept him off the scene for more than a year.

"He was getting ready to come back in the spring but a nail went into his foot and hit his pedal bone," Ryan said.

Zaba Zaba Doo has had two starts, winning on debut in April last year before being unplaced at his only other start later that month.

The Listed Civic Stakes (1350m) attracted 12 entries on Monday headed by the Chris Waller trained Tromso on a rating of 103.

– AAP

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