KINGSTON, Jamaica - Calculus came from hither, thither and yon to get by Further and Beyond and win the 2021 running of the Jamaica St Leger.
The St Leger is competed for by bred three-year-olds at a distance of 10 furlongs and was contested at Caymanas Park on Saturday, July 3.
Presented by Betmakers for a purse of $4,500,000, Calculus, the bay son of Sensational Slam out of the Bernardini mare Trinket Box, is trained by Gary Subratie, owned by Chevan Maharaj and was ridden by Shane Ellis. Calculus won the event by 6 3/4 lengths in a time of 2:08.4 with the jockey high in the saddle. The time was built on fractions of 24.3, 51.1, 1:16.0, 1:41.3 seconds.
It was the fifth St Leger victory for Ellis, and the second for Subratie and Maharaj.
Further and Beyond (Dane Nelson) was second and She’s A Wonder finished third.
THE RACE
The start of the 2021 St Leger was marred by the unruly behaviour of horse number one, Prince Marshall who ended up under his starting stall. Then some horses were taken out while others were not, with the latter set standing in their respective post positions for a while before order was restored.
The starter pressed his button minus Prince Marshall who was declared a late non-starter.
Jockey Dick Cardenas put 2000 Guineas winner Miniature Man to lead, followed by Simba The Lion (Aaron Chatrie) with Further and Beyond (Dane Nelson) also staking an early claim.
Both Calculus and She’s A Wonder were close to the backmarkers at this stage.
Down the backstretch the order remained much the same but on reaching the half-turn Further and Beyond made his move as also Calculus on the rails and She’s A Wonder (outside), as Miniature Man faded.
Further and Beyond entered the last two furlongs with the advantage but was quickly pounced on by a rampaging Calculus, and the end was nigh for the rest.
WINNING JOCKEY’S COMMENT
“At the off, I got a good break then asked him [Calculus] to cruise down into it until reaching the half mile. I then asked him for an effort and he responded in good order and he did likewise when he got ahead of the field. I do not know whether or not there is a horse in training right now who can compete in the Derby with him on favourable terms, but he is going good at present.”
WINNING TRAINER’S COMMENT
“When we got him some four weeks ago Calculus was examined thoroughly to see what the issues were, and there was some minor stuff to deal with and we did so in quick order. For this race, we put the figure 8 on and got Shane Ellis, a winner of several Classic races, to ride. I was confident going into the race for, apart from the filly (She’s A Wonder), he had beaten all the other horses. Now it is on to the Derby in about four weeks.”
THE POSITIVES
Good to see another horse from the three-year-old batch pushing through to win a Classic, as we now have three Classic races (1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, St Leger) and three different winners. The Classic status of jockey Shane Ellis is now beyond reproach while the Classic stock of Subratie has risen several notches.
THE NEGATIVES
It was a poor performance by Miniature Man while Nuclear Noon, second in the 2000 Guineas, was a no-show.
The officials running the racing show have to quickly put on paper for all to see and understand, a starting protocol for the starters and their assistants to follow. It can no longer be tolerated when some horses are taken out of the gates and some are left in the gates once there is an incident like the aforementioned one with Prince Marshall. This protocol must be binding for all races and not just the big ones. An advantage, when money is wagered by the public, cannot be given or seem to be given to any horse(s) – especially at the start of a race.
