KINGSTON, Jamaica - Is That A Fact galloped into the limelight in the Chairman's Trophy on Saturday, February 24, 2024.
The American-bred racehorse, weighing in at a lean 44.0 kilograms (101 pounds), raced in a three-year-olds and upward call over 7 ½ furlongs.
Is That A Fact clinched victory by 2 ¼ lengths ahead of the two-time Horse of the Year, Atomica and the previous year's Mouttet Mile champion, Rough Entry. This achievement marked Is That A Fact as one of the current elite runners within the racing circuit.
Champion owner Carlton Watson, leading trainer Jason DaCosta, and the promising jockey Jordan Barrett, were the triumphant trio behind Is That A Fact, who completed the race in an impressive time of 1:32.1.
"Is That A Fact had some issues last year that were niggling him. He got over that early this year. He trained really well coming into this race, and with the lightweight, I thought he had an excellent chance," DaCosta recounted.
The trainer also shared his race-time apprehensions, stating, "You are running against the best horses, and so you cannot give away weight. Jordan Barrett rode him (Is That A Fact) perfectly. I was a bit worried at the top of the lane as Rough Entry looked good turning for home, but I always had faith that with the light impost, I had a chance of running him down."
Is That A Fact" in third down the backstretch, closely following Atomica, steered by Dane Dawkins, and Rough Entry, under the guidance of Shamaree Muir. In a strategic move, Barrett advanced the bay colt to challenge Rough Entry around the half-mile turn, leaving Atomica behind.
Approaching the final stretch, Is That A Fact was momentarily outpaced by Rough Entry but delivered a stunning performance at the crucial half-furlong pole, surging ahead to victory.
Reflecting on the race strategy, Barrett shared, "The plan going into the race was to get a good break, relax him, and make him run the last two furlongs. I worked with the trainer’s instructions, and we won. When I asked Is That A Fact to run, he responded, and that was that."
