KINGSTON, Jamaica - The opening event of ten, contested over 1000 metres straight, was secured in a 15-1 upset victory by Curlin’s Choice partnered by two-kilo claimer Shane Richardson for trainer Michael Hall.
Trained by Delroy Wisdom and piloted by claiming two-kilogramme reinsman Ramon Nepare, even money joint favourite Cave Man beat four rivals over a distance similar to that of race one.
In race three, veteran Everton Stone rode the 92nd winner of his four-decade chequered career aboard So Magnificent, trained by Linton Calder.
It was 11-1 against the lightly-raced seven-year-old mare in this 1400-metre gallop and 7-1 when she scored in her previous outing over 1100 metres a fortnight ago. Conditioner Gary Subratie saddled the first of two winners from his stable with 2022 champion Dane Dawkins guiding All For Love (7-2) to victory over the 1200 metres of race four.
The leading rider Tevin Foster was in quadruple riding from race five through to the eighth. Firstly, Ryan Darby’s four-year-old Cosmic Force coasted by six lengths at even money in the 1400-metre race five. For his second, the task of Foster was easy in race six run at 1100 metres with Patrick Lynch’s US-bred frontrunning Joy Is Golden (2-1) nearly seven lengths ahead at the finish.
Things got even less exacting for the skills of Foster to land the third as Lawrence Freemantle saddled three-year-old maiden Shany Star (5-2) delivered an all-the-way triumph ending eight and a half lengths clear of her nearest rival in the 1300-metre exertion of race seven.
Early favourite for the 2024 riding title, Foster for his fourth on the card and win number 30 this season drove Robert Pearson’s even-money gambled Posing Already to victory by a neck over the 1000 metres of the straight course to secure the eighth event.
Foster is now nine wins clear of pursuing Raddesh Roman, whose only success on the card came aboard 9-5 bet Natural Dancer for the stable double of Gary Subratie to be confirmed in the 1000-metre straight race nine.
Featured on the programme and run as race ten was another staging of the Henry W Jaghai 1200-metre Memorial Trophy.
The progressive form of Vincent Atkinson’s Rhythm Buzz (9-2) continued as the benefit of the skillful and patient handling by Javaneil Patterson resulted in a successful challenge for the lead to better five-year-old Kentucky-bred Wall Street Trader, winner of two races from 21 starts in the United States.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Linton Calder for presenting So Magnificent in sufficiently improved condition to take on a much stronger field and scoring easily by three and a half lengths.
The Best Winning Gallop was executed by Rhythm Buzz and Javaniel Patterson’s performance entitles him to the Jockeyship Award.
