KINGSTON, Jamaica - Long ago, 14-time champion trainer Philip Feanny made the following statement: “time only matters for those in prison but weight can stop a train.”
Well, “The Maestro” as Feanny is affectionately known once again proved his statement correct on the 10-race card last Saturday (April 23) at Caymanas Park.
Excessive Force trained by Feanny, with lightweight jockey Jordan Barrett in the saddle, toting 47.5 kilogrammes put it across rivals including reigning Horse of the Year Further and Beyond (Robert Halledeen) who shouldered top weight of 57.0 kgs, to win in the The Viceroy Trophy, at a mile. The The Viceroy Trophy, was competed for by horses in the three-year-old and upwards bracket and was an Open Allowance/Graded Stakes contest.
Excessive Force, an 11/1 chance, won the event by 5 3/4 lengths from stablemate I’ve Got Magic, ridden by Paul Francis, at odds of 7,2, Calculus navigated by Dane Dawkins, as a 3/1 chance, came on late at the business end to finish third with Further and Beyond, the 3/5 odds on favourite, completing the frame, in the field of six. The final time for the event was 1:37.3 seconds built on split fractions of 23.3 x 46.2 x 1:10.4 seconds.
“He (Excessive Force) ran well. The trip suited him, and it was only unfortunate that we could not get a nine-furlong trip out of the chute, as that would have suited him even more. And the handicap also suited him. He is a nice horse, coming around nicely, and learning to corner in the process. And, as long as he can perfect that, he will be alright,” Feanny said in his post-race interview.
Of note, is that Feanny was also the trainer of The Viceroy, the former Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year.
