KINGSTON, Jamaica - Sheer Delight concluded his preparations for the upcoming US$250,000 Mouttet Mile with an encouraging victory in the United Racehorse Trainers’ Association of Jamaica (URTAJ) Trophy feature race at Caymanas Park on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
This three-year-old dark bay colt, trained by Donovan Hutchinson and ridden by Christopher Mamdeen, commanded the Restricted Stakes contest for three-year-olds and older horses.
Sheer Delight completed the nine-furlong and 25-yard distance in a time of 1:57.1, recording fractions of 24.4, 48.2, 1:15.2, and 1:41.4.
He remained off the early pace but made a strategic move, settling in third position behind Mack and Rome (Dick Cardenas) and Unruly Don (Raddesh Roman) as they navigated the half-mile (800m). As the race progressed, Sheer Delight surged to the front and took the lead nearing the finish, holding off the fast-closing Captain Sparrow (Omar Walker) and Unruly Don (Raddesh Roman) by three-quarters of a length.
“Sheer Delight was brought down by the owner [Jeremy Rachpaul] for the Mouttet Mile. This was his third run; his previous two runs he finished in third place on both occasions.
“I figured that he wanted to be stretched out, and so I asked the owner to give me a run with this horse going nine furlongs and 25 yards. We sat down as a team and prepared this horse, and he won,” Hutchinson said.
“After his first two runs, there weren’t any concerns about his potential. You know, horses can tell you when they are ready, and he was telling us that he was ready, and so he delivered the goods,” Hutchinson added.
Regarding the final time of 1:57.1, Hutchinson commented: “Time only matters when you are in jail, and if you fret on it, you will be dead. So time doesn’t really matter, and the final time of 1:57.0 is okay with me. A win is just a win for me, that’s all.
“We will take it one day at a time. We are going back to the drawing board, freshen him up, and come again. All you need in horse racing is a little luck, and that’s all.”
