Prior to the last two and a half decades, the Easter weekend race cards were special and even included the opening Classics but this sadly is no longer the case.
As things stand, the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association (TOBA) and the United Racing Trainers Association of Jamaica (URTAJ) have been largely silent as they continue the labour under a 33-year misconception that the racing product is performing at a level to facilitate purse increases of a certain adequacy.
Truth be told, the complicated claiming system racing product, with the horse population divided into 21 categories, continues to underperform by delivering a disproportionate number of odds-on favourites and smaller fields with inferior horses conceding weight to superior ones.
The metric of proving this is untenable is well chronicled in these columns, but the operatives of TOBA and URTAJ are yet to be convinced the industry is in obvious decline it is the fault of the promoting company SVREL.
As a matter of objectivity, no one should oppose change, but it has to be for the better which claiming has not delivered. From a marketing viewpoint, the local racing industry has been hamstrung by operating with a product that in 33 years has not grown the customer base and consequently the ownership cohort not to mention the breeding industry.
Still, the owners, fanatical and financially exploitable lovers of the sport continue to replace the Government US$40 million subvention up to 2017 and deliver the requisite subsidy to keep things operational.
On to today’s race card. For the first of a double, second-generation reinsman and two-time champion Shane Ellis won the five-furlongs round opening event aboard 1-2 bet Sugar Daddy, a near one-length winner for long-serving conditioner Errol Subratie.
Gary Griffiths’ maiden four-year-old filly Ruby’s Light was always clear over the seven furlongs of race two to win by over six lengths for claiming jockey Rotajmar Weir to record his first career success.
After a wait of an hour, Ellis had his double with Incredible Jo (USA), from the camp of Adrian Prince, scoring over the five furlongs straight course by more than nine lengths.
Over the same distance for race four, Tapit Good (6-1) returned to form for trainer David Powell with a six-length margin of victory.
In race five, Wesley Henry, the 1997 champion, had a trademark success aboard the Anthony Nunes frontrunner Brompton Boy (1-1) as the diminutive reinsman reminded his fans of his special skills with similar horses, preferring to be early pacemakers.
Reyan Lewis, the 2023 titlist, was the third former champion to visit the winners’ enclosure as Peter-John Parsard’s schooled maiden Boss Man (6-5) was two lengths ahead of the field at the end of the six furlongs of race six.
Featured on the programme of ten races was another renewal of the Saint Cecelia Cup and Rohan Mathie presented 4-1 backed Pack Plays (USA) tuned to the minute for Shane Richards to ride a tactical race from in front to score by two lengths over the six and a half furlongs gallop.
Champion Raddesh Roman justifiably got his opening success of a double when Jason DaCosta’s US-bred colt Girvano (3-5) had his ground taken in the process of delivering what would have been a successful challenge of frontrunning Unruly Mo (USA) on the far rails a furlong out. Switched to the outside, Girvano (USA) rallied well to be just a head second to the Shane Ellis ridden Unruly Mo (USA) who was duly disqualified from first in the seven and half furlong race.
After opening at 5-1, it was eventually 8-1 against Fault Line, owned and trained by Phillip Lee and guided by Phillip Parchment to score in race nine. Drawn against the inner rails and off the early pace, Parchment exploited an opening on the far rails 100 yards out, running on well, to score by three parts of a length in the event, run at seven and a half furlongs. Declared by Steven Todd, favourite Cosmic Force (8-5) delivered a near-two-length victory advantage to confirm Roman’s double in the nightcap over six and a half furlongs.
