KINGSTON, Jamaica - In a reversal of form, D Head Cornerstone, a five-year-old bay horse, made a triumphant return to the winner's circle in the Kenneth Mattis Memorial Trophy on Sunday, September 8, 2024.
After a winless streak of eight starts this season, D Head Cornerstone effortlessly surpassed his competitors in the Overnight Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upward over nine furlongs and 25 yards.
With a convincing 2 ½ length victory, he clocked a time of 1:57.2 (26.1 x 50.4 x 1:16.1 x 1:42.4). Rainsville (Youville Pinnock) finished in second place ahead of Power From Above (Oneil Mullings) in this place.
Trainer Peter-John Parsard attributed the turnaround to a specialised training programme, which D Head Cornerstone responded to exceptionally well.
“D Head Cornerstone on a specialised programme and he reacted well to and I was happy to see the improvement.
Last time out he came 20 lengths behind the winner and to run in the same class and win fairly comfortably is very exciting,” Parsard told the Jamaica Observers’ The Supreme Racing Guide.
Parsard also extended his gratitude to owner Roan Budwah, who has been a pillar of support.
“This owner in particular has been very important for our stables. Over the last couple of months, he has supported me very well as I got my trainer's licence.
“I have to congratulate Mr Budwah because he's been a fantastic owner. This is the first run I got with the horse and I was hopeful I'd be able to get home with him, and I am grateful and gratified to be able to do that,” Prasad said.
Parsard added that the jockey [the visiting Arnaldo Bocachica] played a crucial role in the win.
“The jockey is a 'big' jockey, so that's the first thing. When you give 'big' jockeys instructions, it is a little different than apprentices. I just told him what historically the horse liked, and allowed him to use his quality and win the race and that's exactly what happened,” Parsard said.
