KINGSTON, Jamaica - After winning the Legal Light Trophy with his exceptional filly Atomica on Monday, August 7, 2023, owner Don Wehby expresses his desire to add the Gold Cup to his collection as well.
Atomica achieved her third consecutive victory from four starts this season, dominating the Open Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upwards over nine furlongs and 25 yards by an impressive 6 ¼ lengths. The Nuclear Wayne – Honeytonkville progeny clocked in at 1:56.0 (27.2 x 52.1 x 1:6.0 x 1:41.2).
“I always kiss Atomica because she is such an outstanding filly. We're now three from three, putting us in the big league,” Wehby said.
“There’s a She’s A Maneater trophy race later this month, but I'm not too excited about it since I've always wanted to win the Gold Cup. As a child, I first watched the Gold Cup with my dad in 1972 when a horse named Monte’s Stitch won.
“I've always dreamt of winning the Gold Cup, and hopefully, trainer Gary Subratie can prepare her for that race. He (Subratie) must be cautious with her due to her challenges, but she is an extraordinary filly who easily cantered a 1:56.0 time on a slow track; she's almost back at her peak now,” Wehby added.
Piloted by Dane Dawkins, Atomica took the lead straight from the start and maintained it over Miniature Man (Abigail Able), D Head Cornerstone (Javaniel Patterson), and Money Monster (Jerome Innis) as they entered the clubhouse turn and the main track.
Atomica held her pace well along the backstretch before increasing her speed around the half-mile (800m) turn. The swift filly then continued to pull away in the deep stretch, triumphing over Miniature Man and D Head Cornerstone.
“For me, Atomica's best run was setting the track record in last year's Jamaica Cup against graded horses, defeating I Am Fred – those horses aren't easy. I think she ran 1:57.0 for 9 ½ furlongs, which was an incredible feat.
“While she may not be at that level just yet, bear in mind that those races occur later in the year. I can't speak for my trainer, but I'd love to win the Gold Cup over seven furlongs and see how she competes against the likes of Runaway Algo,” Wehby concluded.
2 Responses
Gary subratie is one of the better trainers at the track if not the best he knows how to fix a horses problem when it occurs all he needs is a lot more quality horses to challenge for a title one year
thats true gary..he neds a few more top class contenders to hakkle the so to speak ..