KINGSTON, Jamaica – A quiet race day with the usual fare was moving along it merry way until the ninth race when Primal Fear (Oshane Nugent) went down after an injury thereby causing the fall of two other horses and their jockeys| Uncle Vernon (Samantha Fletcher) and Nevada (Richard Henry).
It was an unfortunate incident with no blame being ascribed but the decision was taken by the medics to send Fletcher to hospital for further observation. Both Nugent and Henry were treated and released.
Let’s hope that Fletcher is not badly injured and will recover as quickly as possible.
THE HORSES
With the handicaps overwhelmingly in his favour, Billy Whizz was an easy winner of the Royal Dad Trophy (9 furlongs and 25 yards). This time jockey Dick Cardenas hustled the Jason DaCosta trainee to the front, then travelled smoothly down the backstretch, and still, Billy Whizz was able to increase his tempo in the straight. The final time of 1:54.2 is nothing to scoff at.
Despite the favours of the handicap, this was an encouraging performance by Billy Whizz who has now earned over $5 million from 13 starts (three wins | five seconds place finishes, and three third places). Billy Whizz is still eligible within his conditions to race at the three-year-old non-winners of four-level.
THE QUICK GALLOPER must mention the winner of the 10th race the 17-1 outsider Stevie The Great.
Stevie The Great | a four-year-old chestnut gelding by Fearless Vision – Michelle The Great | has raced four times and has won three times. Trainer Colin Ferguson has been patient with Stevie The Great, who must have had his issues as he made his first race day appearance on July 21, 2021. Since then Stevie The Great has been victorious going five furlongs straight (twice), and once at 6 furlongs. The race yesterday saw Stevie The Great winning from the number one draw coming down the five straight, which is a rare occurrence at this distance. Well done trainer Ferguson.
THE TRAINERS
The conversation at the track heated up after the eighth race following the win by Billy Whizz and the fourth-place finish by Ianzha Links both trained by Jason DaCosta. Most did not fail to notice that DaCosta after starting his local career in April (2021) was now sitting at the top of the trainers’ championship.
Based on preliminary calculations, DaCosta is approximately $400,000 ahead of champion Anthony Nunes with Gary Subratie in third place.
On the race day itself, there were two winners each for Subratie, Ferguson and Patrick Lynch. Subratie had wins by Miss Cookie and Duke in the Overnight Vassell Najair Memorial Trophy, Ferguson had Diamond In The Sky and Stevie The Great, while it was Ring Charmer and Bala Gris for Lynch.
The trend of trainers in the cold for a long while coming to the fore is continuing. Dale Murphy, who has been in the wilderness for a long time is finding the winners’ enclosure, so too Ferguson, and to a lesser extent Donovan Plummer.
JOCKEYS
It does not happen regularly these days, but after 10 races were done and dusted, leading jockey Anthony Thomas was winless.
The riding honours went to the ever-reliable Dick Cardenas who brought home three winners, Ring Charmer, Bala Gris and Billy Whizz.
