KINGSTON, Jamaica - The suspension of the Sunday COVID-19 lockdown period has enabled the promoting company to offer race cards on the first day of the week.
Nine races were presented with another staging of the O & S Tack Room Restricted Stakes run as the eighth and feature with a distance of 1300 metres. The declared eight-horse line-up included this year’s 2000 Guineas and Jamaica Derby runners-up Nuclear Noon (Robert Halledeen), and Billy Whizz (Dick Cardenas), respectively, with the former missing the Derby and the latter the St Leger.
Billy Whizz reared badly the moment the gates opened and was left well behind, entirely without hope. On the other hand, both Nuclear Noon and the talented, but lightly raced Regnant (Paul Francis), who missed the above mentioned Classics due to a setback, had speedy and well balanced exits from their starting stalls.
Regnant led into the straight but succumbed to the pressure of Nuclear Noon 200 metres out who then raced away to score by nearly three lengths at odds of 6/5. Trained by Anthony Nunes, there is a sense that the winner will be kept to sprinting for the foreseeable future while Billy Whizz (5 lengths 3rd), who’s last three starts being over 3,040 metres combined will be entered for middle and or longer distances.
The opening event was won by Adin Williams’s War of the Roses (3/1) to give hard-working reinsman Phillip Parchment his second-straight winner having won the final race on the previous day’s card.
Speedy mare Casual Charm (Jordan Barrett) sprinted in front for the entire duration of the 900-metre gallop of the second event to score at 9/2 for trainer Anthony Smith.
In the third event over 900 metres, confined to two year olds, winner Power Ranking (1-1), demonstrated significant scope for improvement with a green but promising 2 ¼ length scoreline with Oshane Nugent riding his 28th winner this year.
The fourth went to 1,000-metre course specialist Task Force (7/2) ridden from in front by Roger Hewitt for trainer Junior Small’s sixth success from 61 starts in 2021.
In race five, winner Sharp Skirt (5/2) was the pick of the paddock and performed to match her looks. Unraced from June this year, trainer Oniel Markland made sure he returned the eight-year-old mare to the races in invincible condition. She duly obliged by 6½ lengths without any intervention by jockey Anthony Thomas.
It was career win number three for apprentice Richard Henry, whose license was issued on December 7, 2019, when Lady Pujarie (5-1) led and escaped her legion of pursuers in the day’s maiden 1000 metres round sixth. Conditioned by Rohan Mathie, the small dark bay three-year-old threatened throughout and managed to score by two lengths.
Danny Spud (Kiaman McGregor) delivered a strong stretch drive sprint to overhaul odds on favourite the fleet-footed Basilicus (Anthony Thomas) 100 metres out to land the gamble at 8/5 for trainer Vincent Anderson to enjoy a fifth visit to the winners’ enclosure this season.
The Philip Feanny-trained US importee Excessive Force (Linton Steadman — 8-5), despite running wide as usual from the top of home straight in the 1,300-metre nightcap, the colt was over three lengths clear at the finish line.
