KINGSTON, Jamaica – Blue Vinyl, rated as the second best of the three-year-old crop of 2022, behind the Horse of the Year Atomica, reasserted his class with a convincing performance on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at Caymanas Park.
Blue Vinyl’s first success in 2023 was achieved from his first start in the year in a Restricted Overnight Allowance call going 6 ½ furlongs.
The main protagonists in this encounter were Brinks (Dane Dawkins), and Blue Vinyl with Javaniel Patterson in the saddle for trainer Patrick Lynch, and so it turned out.
From the time the starter pressed the go button, the race became a straight fight between Blue Vinyl and Brinks, which was a re-enactment of the contests both participated in at three years. Then, Blue Vinyl had the better of Brinks in The Kingston (7 ½ furlongs), the 2000 Guineas (8 furlongs), and the St Leger (10 furlongs). Brinks's moment of joy against Blue Vinyl came in the Jamaica Derby (12 furlongs), when he finished second behind Atomica with Blue Vinyl third.
Despite the aforementioned past performances involving Blue Vinyl and Brinks, punters on Saturday placed their confidence in the latter at odds of 4-5. Blue Vinyl was the second favourite starting at odds of 9-5.
In the race itself, Brinks raced on the inside, holding a minor advantage over Blue Vinyl, persistently challenging on the outside. Then with about 3 ½ furlongs left to go, Patterson asked Blue Vinyl to push on, and he did so with aplomb. Blue Vinyl, in gaining the lead, went on to establish his dominance over Brinks by 4 ¼ lengths. The ever-present Overnight performer, Big Big Daddy finished third.
The final time of 1:20.2 built on splits of 23.3 x 47.0 x 1:12.2 underlined the progress of Blue Vinyl since he last raced in December of last year.
The hope now is for Blue Vinyl to further develop, thereby enhancing the numbers available to race in Open Allowance.
