Staged as race nine, the withdrawal of top-rated and weighted contender Desert Of Malibu (USA) from the 1400-metre Philip Feanny OD Gold Cup, meant champion and leading trainer, Jason DaCosta held the upper hand in an event which guaranteed automatic entry in December’s Mouttet Mile.
DaCosta’s entries of the progressive three-year-colt US-bred Funcaandun (Robert Halledeen) and imported from the same source Is That A Fact (Tevin Foster), thus became the two most favoured to win by punters.
Funcaandun led clearly from his entrance in the straight and won by a reducing three parts of a length from Is That A Fact to give DaCosta his second consecutive Gold Cup success having won last year with She’s My Destiny .
As the contest for the 2024 jockeys title enters the final quarter of the season, the two realistic protagonists continue to generate the most talking points as the excitement among the respective fan clubs Raddesh Roman (99) and Tevin Foster (99) is currently a feature of each race day. The former branded with the sobriquet “Sneaky Fox” and the latter “Terrific” delivered half a dozen winners between them on this nine-race card.
All members should continue to enjoy debating with the opposing fan club, predicting the outcome and supporting your favourite. In the final analysis, it will come down to either, which of the two reinsmen will be more fortunate in attracting the requisite competitive mounts as well as escape unforeseen circumstances such as injury and suspension or both.
For the first of two successes, Roman was aboard Sensation Satin (2-1) saddled by owner/trainer Winston McIntosh in the 800-metre opening event for victory by one and a half lengths.
The second, on the now sloppy 1600-metre surface, was provided by six and a quarter length winning frontrunner Uncaptured Empress (2-5), declared by Peter McMaster to give Roman the distinction of being first to 100 winners and the lead by two.
Races two was secured by Princess Talise (3-2) trained by Lawrence Freemantle for the 1500-metre gallop with former champion of 2022 Dane Dawkins delaying Foster’s response to Roman. This as the title-chaser only managed a third-place finish on the well fancied Premier Identity (8-5).
Still, the Tevin Foster supporters were back in fine voice as four-year-old US-bred maiden Workout Cru (3-2) won race four, run over 1500 metres. This by five lengths for owner/trainer Oneil Markland. Obviously difficult to train, the lightly raced four-year-old bay/brown filly was having only her fifth racecourse appearance and appeared to relish running on the surface of mud and water.
For the first of a stable triple and Foster’s second, it was 9-2 against the Anthony Nunes conditioned Mr Senator for the 1400-metre race five. The four-year-old grey colt was the early backmarker but found the lead in the upper stretch and sticking to the far rails outstayed his rivals by nearly six lengths.
Nunes’ second and Foster’s third came in race six with three-year-maiden colt Irish Wish (1-2) won the 1100-metre exertion by five lengths.
Then it was back in the winner’s enclosure at the end of the 1400 metres of race eight with Supremasi (8-5) nearly four lengths clear.
Conditioned by Ian Parsard and partnered by champion Reyan Lewis. Run Julie Run heroine of the 2024 One Thousand Guineas and fresh from a narrow defeat in the Jamaica Derby led and scored over the 1600 metres of race seven by four lengths and a quarter over progressive US-bred and previously undefeated Impressive Force having his third career start.
Run Julie Run was the third grey horse to win thus adding weight to the theory that this coloration of thoroughbreds gives them a mysterious advantage in races run in rain and on sloppy surfaces.
