KINGSTON, Jamaica - Following a dismal 2022 campaign in which he not only failed to win a race but also failed to get into the top five in his 10 outings, Curlin’s Flight, sporting the figure-8 for the second time, looked a different animal when winning second time out for the 2023 season.
The dark bay gelding (Perfect Curlin – City Flight) took the field apart in the five-year-old and upwards non-winners of three races and imported non-winners of two races contest over 7 furlongs.
Sent off as the 3-1 third favourite, Curlin’s Flight, owned and trained by Patrick Lynch, left the gates well with jockey Javaniel Patterson and briefly dictated terms before allowing Slamsilano (Samantha Fletcher) to go by.
From there, Patterson held Curlin’s Flight in third but regained the lead, leaving the five-furlong point heading toward the half-mile. The relaxed manner in which Patterson brought Curlin’s Flight into the home stretch all but signalled that it would have been a mere formality from there.
And so it was.
Despite drifting wide, the Michael Bernard-bred Curlin’s Flight won by two-and-a-half lengths. Sensational Ending (Jordan Barrett), Maya (Youville Pinnock), and Thegoodlife (Conrod Ellis).
They covered the distance in 1:30.4. The splits were 24.2, 48.2, and 1:15.3.
With this, his third career win in 26 starts, Curlin’s Flight completed a quick double for Lynch, who had earlier won the fourth event with four-year-old colt Legal Bomb, piloted by Jordan Barrett.
The Legal Process-Fantasy progeny topped the four-year-old and upwards non-winners of two races and imported maidens contest by two-and-a-quarter lengths, covering 6 furlongs (1,200m) in 1:16.4. The splits were 23.2 and 49.4 seconds. AKA Storm (Jerome Innis), Joe (Roger Hewitt), and North London (Samantha Fletcher) completed the frame.
