KINGSTON, Jamaica - NOTICEABLY, there was a scarcity of spectators on hand to witness the opening event live, but things picked up as the afternoon progressed.
The day’s opener on the nine-race programme, run at 1600 metres, produced the only close finish with 1-2 favourite Blood Song (Tevin Foster) prevailing by a neck over even money choice Zabratone (Anthony Thomas) for trainer Tensang Chung to register his first success of the 2023 racing year.
It was double success for trainer Keffin Murray with five-year-old American-bred maiden Genealogy (6-1) scoring in the 1600-metre second race. The five-year-old horse was piloted by Shavon Townsend for the first of the three-kilogramme claiming jockey’s two wins as well. Murray’s second was confirmed in the closing event, with Andre Powell guiding 3-2 backed KP Choice to a winning margin of two lengths and a quarter over the 1000 metres of the straight course.
At the end of race three, Townsend revisited the winners’ enclosure with the three-year-old, even money favourite maiden Ridge Liner. Schooled by Dale Murphy, the athletic colt outsprinted five rivals by over five lengths for the trainer’s first of two on the day. When US-bred Chitu Prince (Christopher Mamdeen) won the sixth event at odds of 6-5 Murphy, a nominee for most improved trainer of 2022, had his third trip to the hallowed winners’ enclosure across the 19 races of the two-day weekend race meets.
Not to be outdone, consistent top ten conditioner Patrick Lynch emulated the feats of Murray and Murphy with a $412.00 dividend for double of races four and five run at 1200 and 1400 metres, respectively. Legal Bomb (7-2), ridden by two-kilogramme claiming jockey Jordan Barrett, was just over two lengths better than the closest rival in race four, whilst race five was dominated from early by 3-1 shot Curlin’s Flight (Javaniel Patterson) to score by a comfortable two-and-half-length win margin.
Race seven, a Non-Restricted Overnight Allowance stamina test over 1820 metres, was won by consistent middle-distance campaigner Positive ID (4-5) from the barn of second-generation conditioner Michael Marlowe. Behind, rounding the Clubhouse Turn, Trevor Simpson — the former five-time champion and record holder with 172, the most wins in a racing year — did not allow Positive ID to idle and got the five-year-old horse to the lead early in the home straight, then proceeded to outstay the runner-up by four lengths.
Bred, owned and trained by Carl Anderson and having its 17th career start — with infrequently engaged, four-kilogramme claiming jockey Carlos Blake executing the task — Call The Emperor, a moderate four-year-old bay gelding, was four lengths better than his nearest pursuer. Kawise Gentle, also a four-kilogramme claimer, was the declared rider last Thursday but in his absence Blake was gifted this particular piece of good fortune to be the chosen substitute on the day. This race was restricted to maidens four-year-old and upwards and was contested over 1000 metres straight.
The Training Feat Award is presented Patrick Lynch for the transformation of the form of Legal Bomb and Curlin’s Flight. The former was down the track by a combined total of 112 in the last nine starts, while the latter racked up a combined 138-length deficit in its last ten appearances. The Best Winning Gallop was produced by Positive ID, who responded to the all-out drive of his jockey from 1400 metres out to deliver the Best Winning Gallop. The Jockeyship Award goes to Carlos Blake for his handling of an unfamiliar mount in Call The Emperor, making the task appear a lot easier than it was in reality.
