Still celebrating recent wins for his birds, the trainer is confident his horse can star at Rosehill on Saturday.
Away from the high-stakes glamour of the big-money race days, Warwick Farm-based trainer Gary Portelli is just as happy focusing on a humbler pursuit – racing pigeons.
Portelli has poured hours of work into Encap’s preparation. While pigeon-racing may not be as intense – or as rewarding – it is a labour of love and he takes the sport seriously. Portelli educates his birds by tapping a tin of food, or blowing a whistle, which indicates it is time to return to his loft. Plenty of pigeons never return, but the majority of them quickly learn where the free food is.Gary Portelli on Golden Eagle runner Encap
He says Encap is ready to run the race of his life for his owners – who include real estate agents, farmers, retirees, and air force personnel – in the big-money race over 1500m.
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