With seven Graded Stakes events remaining, there was another round of the 2026 Road To The Mouttet Mile points allocation featured on today’s programme.
This was race four and another staging of the seven-and-a-half furlong Seeking My Dream Trophy. Naturally, the two top stables were well represented with four-time (2022-25) and current leader, champion Jason DaCosta, saddling four, and former three-time (2019-2021) titlist Anthony Nunes, two of the six starters.
Ridden by Robert Halledeen, to open a double, the US-bred Klimt five-year-old bay horse Funcaandun (5-2), hero of the 2024 Mouttet Mile, was three and a half lengths better than front-runner California Crown (5-1). Girvano (USA) at 2/1, was two lengths further back in third with DaCosta’s stable taking over $2.0 million in stakes for securing the three top spots in the frame.
Surprisingly, fifth-placed Barnaby (USA), the favourite at 4-5, never looked likely to be a factor for Nunes.
Dane Dawkins, the 2022 champion, rode 3-5 favourite Life Is Life to a three-length victory margin over the seven and a half furlongs of the opening event for trainer Gresford Smith.
In race three, two-time (2024-25) champion and 2026 leader Raddesh Roman induced a successful front-running effort from Adrian Prince’s Bob The Builder (2-1) to score by three parts of a length for the opener of his riding double.
Race six, a maiden condition event for both sexes, four years and upwards, went to one and a half-length winner Delightful One (7-2), saddled by Oraldo Chin. The colt, a Berlino Di Tiger progeny, is bred and owned by that consummate horseman and racing analyst Desmond Lewis, who is also a director of the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association. Tevin Foster, on winner number 35 here, is still keeping in touch with Roman on 40 at the end of this meet.
Race three, contested for maidens five years and older, contested over five and a half furlongs, had a runaway nine-length winner with Native Alliance (3-5), from the stable of Paul Swaby and only having its second career start, gifting apprentice Tajay Suckoo with the opener of a double on the day.
Suckoo’s closing leg came aboard, Steven Todd’s hard-knocking four-year-filly Native Flyer (5-2) dominating the five furlongs round of the seventh by just over 11 lengths. This race was start number 11 for the tough little Successful Native bred bay.
Speaking of apprentice riders, Romario Spencer, on his 16th mount, so far this year, for his first win, made it look easy after a slow start, partnering Green Gold Rush (1-2) to a six-length advantage over the one-mile gallop of race five. This, for conditioner Norman Smith to register five wins from 15 declarations this season.
In race eight, Division One of the James B Dawes Memorial Trophy, the DaCosta/Halledeen collaboration confirmed double success. Ricoricorico (USA) at odds of 8-5, joint favourite, who overcame a hefty broadside at the start from Unruly Mo (USA), starting at the same price, won the five-furlong straight sprint by three lengths and a quarter.
In Division Two of the James B. Dawes, staged as race nine, 2025 winner of the ten-furlong Jamaica Oaks, Linguist (4-5) demonstrated her versatility. Roman, in closing his double, executed the riding honours. This was achieved with an eight-length humbling of I Dream Again, who was third in the Two Thousand Guineas and winner of the Jamaica Derby and St Leger in the other 2025 Classics.
Incidentally, Linguist, after finishing a five-length runner-up to Burning Hedge in the 2025 One Thousand Guineas, was injured and unavoidably absent from those remaining Classics.
Second-generation trainer Barrington Dawes was on hand again to present the Trophy, renewed to honour the memory of his father. Coincidentally and seemingly as an impromptu tribute to the Dawes, with DaCosta, Nunes, Prince, Gresford Smith, Norman Smith, and third-generation Todd in the winners’ enclosure, seven of the ten races on the day went to trainers with this legacy.
The closing event of the ten, a maiden seven-furlong condition restricted to three-year-old fillies, was won by Awesome Kitty (7-1), who was just over a length in front of her nearest of 12 rivals. Veteran Paul “Country” Francis was aboard for trainer Winchester McIntosh, bringing back memories of the halcyon days in the pigskin, to escape the threatening late surge of 28-1 shot Gulfstream Cat and the front-running effort of Roman astride Call Her Norray (4-1), a further length back in third.
