Up until 1974, the Jamaica Guineas was a futurity contested by eligible three-year-olds over a distance of 1800 metres/09 furlongs. The following year, the separation of the sexes heralded the commencement of the British model of 1000 and 2000 Guineas over 1600 metres/ 8 furlongs. Therefore, with the first leg of the traditional Triple Crown having two winners, it made for more intriguing seasons of Classic races since.
This 49th renewal, staged as race ten, did not generate any significant talking points. The Ian Parsard conditioned Run Julie Run (Reyan Lewis), having been the runner-up in the premier 1600-metre Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, confirmed her promise with a nine-length margin of superiority in the 1500 metres of important Classic trial The Portmore.
Backed at odds of 2-5, Run Julie Run dominated proceedings in the Guineas to score by nearly five lengths. She is now being touted as a safe bet to be competitive when pitted against the opposite sex in the remaining Classics.
The opening event of the ten races ended in victory for Bestdaughterinlaw (4-5) over 800 metres of the straight course. Ridden by two-kilo claimer Shane Richardson, for the first of two successes on the card, the fleetfooted lightly raced five-year mare won by a head in game fashion for trainer Vincent Atkinson.
Race two, a Restricted Stakes over 1000 metres straight for three-year-olds and older, went to the US-bred three-year-old Chocomo (3-1) with Robert Halledeen executing the riding honours for a two-length win margin for champion and currently leading conditioner Jason DaCosta.
In race three, over the same distance, Sniper Man (5/2) was just under a length in front with Panamanian Josue Osorio aboard for trainer Greg Fennell’s first of two on the day.
Supporting the feature and staged as the fourth event was the 22nd renewal of the 1400-metre Eros Trophy. Two-time Horse-Of-The-Year and top-rated campaigner Atomica (1-2), ridden by former six-time champion Omar Walker for trainer Gary Subratie, conceded weight all round and bettered four-year-old US bred colt Is That A Fact (receiving 3 kilos) by three parts of a length. Champion Atomica was faultless with her speed, stamina and courage.
Trainer Rohan Crighton’s US importee Provocativa (3-1), a winner at Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park, won the 1500-metre fifth event by over five lengths to secure the riding double of Shane Richardson. The five-year-old mare recorded her first success on local soil.
Half an hour later, leading reinsman Tevin Foster rode Biblical Legend (6-5) to victory over the 1400 metres of race six. She was declared by Gregg Fennell for this stable’s second on the card.
Trained by Lawrence Freemantle and partnered by Oshane Nugent, Princess Talise (5-2), racing from well off the early pace, outstayed 4-5 favourite Always Wright over the 1820 metres to score by a length in race seven. Title chasing Raddesh Roman had his sole success on the Anthony Nunes schooled three-year-old maiden Queen Of Soul (4-5) scoring by just over three lengths in the 1100-metre race eight.
For race nine, run at 1300 metres, veteran Oniel Mullings guided Philip Feanny’s sparingly raced four-year-colt Fearless Soul (8-5) to a fourth career victory in nine starts with a comfortable three and a half lengths to spare.
