KINGSTON, Jamaica - This 10-race card was more like a teaser for the upcoming consecutive, three-day Easter Carnival next weekend. One hopes that the trainers will be able to deliver the requisite numbers to fill the minimum 30 races projected to produce competitive betting; the lack of which made today’s card predictable and offered no challenge to the bettors with seven favourites, including five at less than even money, winning on the day.
Most interest on the day was concentrated on Anthony Nunes’ Classic aspirant Supreme Song (1-2) in the day’s ninth run over 1,200 metres. A half-brother to former champion Toona Ciliata, the massively built colt was beaten by four lengths over this distance in a less than impressive debut last November. Shane Ellis kept the large frame of the colt nicely balanced throughout as he ran greenly in the upper stretch and managed to score by only a neck to leave conditioner Nunes unimpressed.
The opening event over 1,500 metres, restricted to four-year-old maidens, was won in a 13-length canter by 3-5 favourite Omron (Dane Nelson) for trainer Joseph Thomas to celebrate his first win from 23 starts this season.
After two runs that promised much in 2021, four-year-old US-bred Double Diva (1-5) got the somewhat predictable successful day for the most productive trainer/jockey collaboration in local racing currently off to a start. Saddled by Jason DaCosta, the impressively conformed chestnut filly was just over eight lengths better than the opposition. Champion jockey Anthony Thomas sat motionless in the saddle for 600 of the 1,000 metres straight of race two before sending the American clear to record a time of 58.1 seconds running against a wind of around 35 kilometres per hour.
If Double Diva’s strong canter was impressive the Sudden Flight (1/9) was even more so. He scored by ten and a quarter-lengths with a track record 53.3 seconds showing on the clock at the end of the 900-metre straight dash for DaCosta and Thomas to revisit the winners’ enclosure for the unsaddling exercise of race three. The distance was reintroduced last year and it must be noted that the island’s sprinters in the two top classes have not yet gotten an opportunity to race there.
The DaCosta/Thomas three-timer for owner Carlton Watson was confirmed in some style with three-year-old debutant Madelyn’s Sunshine (USA) doing absolutely nothing wrong to beat the more experienced expected Classic campaigner Perfect Brew by a length and a half over 1000 metres round (1:00.3) of race seven. Incidentally, this run by Perfect Brew makes him the top-rated aspirant for the 2000 Guineas.
For Watson, who was expected to be in the winner’s enclosure on four occasions but was denied the opportunity as his Mamasharondarling (1-5) favourite conditioned by Dennis Thwaites could only manage to be fourth in race four over 1,000 metres round. The event was won by Adwa (3-1) ridden by Javaneil Patterson for trainer Lawrence Freemantle.
Trained by Donovan Plummer, Quanna (3-5), a former inmate of Wayne Parchment running for only the eighth occasion, won the 1,200-metre five-year-old and upwards maiden fifth by 21 ½ lengths for Thomas’ third winner of his four-timer to move his tally so far this season to 21 winners, six less than leader Dane Nelson and five behind Dane Dawkins in second place.
In race six-run at 1,200 metres, it was 11-1 against the Ian Parsard-trained three-year-old Berning Red ridden by Omar Walker. Running for only the third start of its career, after a few missteps to be slowly into stride and behind early, the gelded chestnut produced a strong stretch run to beat game front runner Special Counsel (Christopher Mamdeen) by one and a half lengths.
Gary Subratie, who saddled three of the seven starters in the 1,820-metre eighth event, saw his JJ Warrior (6/5) ridden by Paul Francis outstaying chief rival King Antholew (Javaniel Patterson) by just over four lengths with his other runners, Itiz What Itiz (3rd) and pacemaker Traditional Boy (4th), making the frame.
The nightcap was won by Patrick Lynch’s hard-knocking five-year-old mare Sheboom (9-5) ridden by Raddesh Roman.
Permission, as the Racing Rules permit as a matter of expediency, was granted by the trainer for even-money favourite Angellos (4th) in the 1,400-metre event to run without the replacement of a loose tongue-tie. This is declared equipment to enhance performance legally and each trainer with such a declaration, or a designated stable representative, should be required to be transported to the start to ensure the betting public is protected.
