KINGSTON, Jamaica – The opening race for two-year-olds turning three on January 1 is the third event of ten on the New Year's Day card at Caymanas Park.
Only five horses have entered, two of which are first-time starters, covering a distance of four furlongs.
Below is a brief examination of the five contenders in this race.
1 – PLAYFAIR, a bay colt born on April 26, is sired by Sensational Slam and out of I Am The One. Trained by Anthony Nunes with Raddesh Roman riding, Playfair comes from good stock, as his dam is a previous Classic winner. Morning observers report that Playfair has been well-prepared for his debut, demonstrating consistent performance and potential. He is heavily favoured to win right away.
2 – THE SOUL WARRIOR, a grey colt born on March 21, is sired by Storm Craft and out of Amanda Panda. Trained by Phillip Lee with Jerome Innis as the jockey, Amanda Panda has already produced The Trojan Warrior. Soul Warrior made an unimpressive debut on December 23 and has not shown much progress since then; he might need more time.
3 – MILITARY MACHINE, a bay colt born on March 22, is sired by Bern Identity and out of Along. Trained by Marlon Brown with Matthew Bennett aboard, Along has already produced De Lye La. Reports suggest that Military Machine is a well-built colt displaying promise during his morning practice sessions. Expect a solid performance.
4 – FIRST OFFENSE a bay colt born on February 21, is sired by Conquest Cherimash and out of Official Report. Trained by Steven Todd with Dane Dawkins holding the reins, he finished second on his debut (December 23), falling 8 ½ lengths behind World Surprise. First Offense raced alongside leading competitors before losing ground over five furlongs straight. The reduction in distance by a furlong should benefit him.
5 – GO WEST YOUNG MAN is a late non-starter.
6 – INDESTRUCTIBLE, a bay colt born on January 25, is sired by Successful Native and out of Rudy Girl. Trained by Phillip Elliott with Shavon Townsend as the jockey, Indestructible races with Lasix for the first time. He performed well on his debut (October 23), finishing third behind Lucy In The Sky and Himaya. However, neither Lucy In The Sky nor Himaya has achieved significant success since then, making it difficult to consider Indestructible as the likely winner.
