THE FINAL ANALYSIS: RACE DAY, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2022
KINGSTON, Jamaica - WITH no traditional trophy event projected for this race meeting, promoting company Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment Limited used the opportunity to showcase staff members of the various departments doing the presentation of mementos to the day’s winning connections. The Administration Department Trophy, run over 1,200 metres for Overnight Allowance sprinters, served as the feature and final event on the 10-race programme.
Eleven came under orders, with the Jason DaCosta-conditioned US-importee Eagle One (Phillip Parchment), the 3-5 favourite, making absolutely no impression and finishing in last place. On the other hand, stablemate Super Duper (Anthony Thomas) at 13-1 led on the sloppy surface to within 50 metres of the line for third. Super Duper was challenged strongly in the home straight by The Good Witch, a winner in Canada last September, who wore her down to finish second eventually.
Neither of these battling front-runners could withstand the strong late rush of Oniel Markland’s Dejae’s Boy (Nicholas Hibbert) who sprinted against the far rails throughout and led in the final stride to score at 6/1. The rare win margins of shorthead and a nose separating the first three was a fitting climax to the day’s entertainment.
The opener went to 3-5 favourite Rusty, conditioned by top ten operative Patrick Lynch and ridden by Reyan Lewis to make this his first of four wins on the day.
Half an hour later, in the 800-metre-straight second event, Lewis was back in the winners’ enclosure. This was aboard two-year-old debutant Royal Ash (3-1) for champion Anthony Nunes’ first of a triple success on the card.
On his 306th mount of the season Roger Hewitt (18 wins) — the claiming jockey engaged most frequently and riding 2-1-backed maiden Six Avenue for trainer Rohan Mathie — led and never looked likely to be caught at any stage of the 1400-metre third race.
In race four it was time for Lewis’s third as even money favourite Party Princess was more than six lengths clear at the end of the 1200-metre gallop. This victory improved veteran trainer Errol Subratie’s success rate to an above-average 26 wins from 80 starts this racing year.
It’s All I (Anthony Thomas), saddled by the leading and title-chasing DaCosta, duly outsprinted rivals by five lengths to take the day’s fifth contested over the 1000-metre straight course as the 3-5 favourite. Over a similar distance, following a wait of an hour, Lewis enjoyed triple success as Michael Marlowe’s maiden JNR Jones won race six at odds of 2-1.
At the end of race seven, run at 1600 metres, it was time for Nunes to revisit the winners’ enclosure to confirm his training double as unsuccessful Classic aspirant Morimoto (1-5) won the event by three lengths. More importantly, this was Lewis closing a four-timer to claim his best-ever return for a day’s work astride the saddle.
Nunes was denied a third and Thomas a second winner as in the 1200-metre eighth Funometer (8-5) — clear 100 metres out — appeared to be coasting home but was nabbed in the final stride by 24-1 outsider Justin Biden. This was a maiden ridden by Shane Richardson (5 wins/106 rides) for trainer Lawrence Freemantle’s eighth winner of the season. Improving sprinter Rubyistheone (5-2) led and won by five lengths in the afternoon’s ninth run over 1000 metres straight for Nunes’ three on the day and a sixth over the last two race days.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Lawrence Freemantle for the performance of Justin Biden, appearing in 13 races previously without looking likely to win any until this success. The Best Winning Gallop came from the hooves of Dejae’s Boy, with claiming jockey Nicholas Hibbert’s good
