KINGSTON, Jamaica -FOLLOWING the awesome performance by Atomica in the 1000 Jamaica Guineas 24 hours earlier on day one of the two-day Supreme Ventures Racing Entertainment Limited (SVREL) promotion, racing connoisseurs were treated to another machine-like display in the 2000 as 11 rival colts and geldings proved to be no match for Blue Vinyl in the day’s ninth and feature Classic event.
Sent off the 3-2 favourite, Blue Vinyl conditioned by Patrick Lynch was guided by Raddesh Roman for this rider’s first Classic success. The dominant, 11-length margin of victory in a time of 1:37.4 raises legitimate talking points over merits of the gallops in the two Classics. Atomica won by 20 lengths in posting 1:37.0 over the 1600 metres on the rain-soaked surface of the day before.
Based on established criteria, while in strict handicapping terms Atomica’s run was rated significantly higher given the fact the 57-kilogramme weight carried was identical, the Jamaica St Leger scheduled for July 2 is now a subject for justifiable speculation as to which of the two will be better on the day. Incidentally, the Jamaica Derby comes up on August 6, the country’s 60th Independence Day and three years after the opening of the Caymans racetrack. As is usually the case, the result of the St Leger will provide the platform for the pre-race debates.
This writer is positing that the two-kilo sex allowance should tilt the balance in favour Atomica. Blue Vinyl’s improvement would have to be nothing short of spectacular to redress the handicap rating imbalance of the filly’s 57 kilos to this colt’s 54 kilos in the Overnight Allowance category. Both thoroughbreds have scope for much more improvement and hopefully will be capable of challenging the prevailing and expected continued dominance of the US importees in the two top classes.
Champion and leading reinsman Anthony Thomas had the first of his two winners on the day in the 1100-metre opening event won by Baltusrol (1-5) for leading conditioner Jason DaCosta. He also enjoyed success as the Alford Brown-trained maiden I Realise outstayed the competition over the extended 1820 metres of race eight.
Race two over 1200 metres was won by 3-5 favourite Special Counsel (Christopher Mamdeen) for trainer Lawrence Freemantle’s sixth win from 66 starts this season.
The 800-metre-straight race three ended in victory for Timetosaygoodbye (1-1) trained by Donovan Russell, with frequently engaged apprentice Roger Hewitt winning a seventh race from 169 opportunities this year.
A rare double success was in the offing for trainer Philip Lee and jockey Odeen Edwards in tandem with race four — run at 1400 metres — going to Dracarys (15-1), piloted by Edwards, for the opening of this trainer/jockey double. Lee and Edwards subsequently returned to the winners’ enclosure with Bridal Blush (6-5) outsprinting the field in the 1000-metre straight sixth.
Showing improved form for trainer Richard Azan, first of his two on the day, Artesia (Dick Cardenas) won immediately at odds of 4-1. This victory in the higher non-winners of four races category in the afternoon’s fifth, contested over 1100 metres, is quite commendable. An hour later Azan returned to the winners’ enclosure as Laban (Dane Dawkins) held on by the flare of her nostrils to reward backers a starting price of 5/2.
From the local breeders’ perspective, it should be more than lamentable that in a Non-Restricted Overnight Allowance over the 1000-metre straight in June there was only one four-year-old. Trainer Tensang Chung’s filly Secret Identity was the only third-season campaigner in this field of twelve starters for the seventh event. For the captains of the breeding industry, this inability of too few horses to matriculate to the top racing categories must be cause for concern, if not sleepless nights at a minimum.
