KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Sunday morning 1,100-metre opening event of 10 on the day got underway just before noon and included in the field was eleven-year-old US importee Fortuneonehundred (Andre Powell) declared for his 77th racecourse appearance and seeking a 23rd opportunity to be unsaddled in the winners’ enclosure.
Conditioned by veteran Anthony Subratie, whose strike rate can be attributed to his experience with 14 wins, four second places and two thirds from only 34 entries, posted Fortuneonehudred, the aged battling front-runner, as easily looking the pick of the post parade. Sent off at odds of 9/1, the speedy chestnut assumed sole leadership early and Powell applied the requisite rating for a resultant 3 ½-length win margin.
Willowdeen (2/1), Tevin Foster’s 348th mount of the season, was a winner for long-serving trainer Wilfred Chin by proving, when it mattered most, to be the strongest of the five starters in the day’s second event run over 1,400 metres. Although kept mostly to races on the straight course Willowdeen, the seven-year-old gelding, has had success at 1,500 metres in his past performances.
Third race winner Babylike (Paul Francis), at odds of 8/5 and schooled by former 14-time champion Philip Feanny, must have been named for her temperament. The fact of the matter is there is nothing ‘babylike’ in her well-developed physique as she looks more like a colt. Sent in pursuit of the speedy debutant Luksol (Anthony Thomas), she sped past the imported colt entering the last 200 metres but needed more than gentle persuasion 50 metres out to beat stablemate Gilbert (Shane Richardson). Babylike won by 1½ lengths to secure the major portion of the purse in this event run over 1,200 metres for foals of 2020.
Race four run on the 1,000-metre round course proved to be easy pickings for the Paul Charlton trained five-year-old gelding It’s All I (Romario Spencer), as the four-year-old colt, although behind early, sprinted home four lengths clear to deliver odds of 8/5 for his connections and backers.
Race five, if nothing else, confirmed the good recent form of the enigmatic reinsman Robert Halledeen as he was astride Prosecco (6/5) in the 1,100-metre event for trainer Patrick Lynch and returned to win the ninth with a confident display for a close win aboard the Fitzgerald Richards Maine-trained 4/5 favourite God of Love to record a double riding success.
Top ten trainer Ryan Darby had a rare experience when his charge, Casual Affair, ridden by Oneil Mullings for the first of a double on the day, outsprinted 10 rivals at odds of 62/1 in the 1,000-metre in the sixth.
Half an hour later Mullings was back in the winners’ enclosure with Vice Cherry Pie (7/2) for trainer Edward Stanberry to win the 1,600-metre seventh event and improve his win tally to seven this season.
Surprisingly, seven-year-old Drummer Boy (1/5), winner of the 2016 Governor’s Cup and a former perennial Overnight Allowance campaigner, and in for a tag of $450,000 (45 bids), had to be driven all the way by Anthony Thomas to land the odds in the day’s eighth run over 1,200 metres. Thomas dismounted following the unconvincing three-length victory as he was not happy with the gelding’s gait. It will be interesting to see if the claimant can return a profit on this transaction.
Having posted Drummer Boy to secure a marginal stakes earnings lead over arch-rival Anthony Nunes in the battle for 2021 trainer’s title, Jason DaCosta was more than pleased with the performance of Sudden Flight in the nightcap. Ridden by Dick Cardenas at odds of (9/2), Sudden Flight took the major slice of this purse straight event and the fifth place of his other entry Baton Rouge (Anthony Thomas) gave DaCosta a lead of approximately $700,000 with eight race days remaining this year.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Anthony Subratie for the performance of Fortuneonehundred in securing consecutive wins and producing the Best winning Gallop of the meet. The Jockeyship Award goes to Robert Halledeen for guiding God of Love under top weight to a half-a-length triumph in what turned out to be a hugely competitive gallop.
