KINGSTON, Jamaica - After showing promise in her first two starts this season, Patrick Lynch’s Select Me is finally set to move up the ranks as she topped a four-year-old and upwards Maiden Condition race for fillies and mares over 6 furlongs (1,200m).
The Natural Selection – Excellence progeny, running with the figure 8 off on this occasion, again highlighted the significance of an equipment change with a more telling performance than the two third-place finishes on January 21 and 28 with the equipment on.
Partnered with Robert Halledeen in the first event, Select Me came away well from stall number four and went straight to the front to dictate terms as Millinium Star (Javaniel Patterson), Wildfire (Chalrick Budhai) and Heroine (Oneil Mullings) gave chase.
Millinium Star later slipped through on the lead leaving the half mile but Halledeen ensured Select Me regained the ascendancy leaving the three-furlong point, and after straightening for home the Derrick Smith-bred charge went about her business.
However, she didn’t have it all her way and it took consistent reminders from Halledeen’s right-hand whip to stave off a late burst from Millinium Star towards the line.
Only a neck separated the two, with Blue Sky (Prince Holder) and Heroine completing the frame. The final time was 1:18.0, behind splits of 23.4 and 49.4 seconds.
Halledeen returned to top the second race a three-year-old and upwards Claiming ($750-000 -$600,000) contest in a gate-to-wire effort aboard Jason DaCosta’s Sir John.
Sir John, a five-year-old gelding (Natural Selection – Luscious), won the one-mile (1,600m) event by three lengths in a time of 1:43.0. The splits were 25.2, 49.0 and 1:15.1.
Chinamax (Phillip Parchment), Azaria (Anthony Thomas) and High Diplomacy (Christopher Mamdeen) completed the frame.
The bustling Halledeen again combined with DaCosta to win the sixth event with Olde Wharf.
Owned by Brian Chen, Olde Wharf won the three-year-old and upwards Optional Claiming ($400,000-$300,000) event over 7 1/2 furlongs (1.500m) by six lengths.
The Bridled Quest-Mom Rules horse completed the distance in 1:39.0, behind splits of 25.0, 49.1 and 1:16.0. Sebastian (Tevin Foster), Duke Of Springs (Phillip Parchment), and Kingswood (Jerome Innis) took the minor placings.
