KINGSTON, Jamaica – After going two race days without a winner, leading rider and co-champion Anthony Thomas returned to the winners’ enclosure aboard 5-1 chance Key Witness.
Key Witness trained by Nicholas Smith earned her seventh win from 66 starts in an Optional Claimer ($550,000 - $500,000) travelling six furlongs.
Key Witness was the last of the eight runners to leave the starting stalls as even money favourite Lala Diva (Kiaman McGregor) was the first to show.
Lala Diva was quickly gobbled up by Storm Princess (Oshane Nugent) who took the field into the straight. Thomas on Key Witness at this time was quietly picking off horses and then made his move for victory on the outside.
Key Witness got going and easily went by the leading pack to win by 1 ½ lengths. Lord Ashton (Roger Hewitt) was second and El Gringo (Samantha Fletcher) third.
| RACE 2 3YO&UP OPTIONAL CLAIMING ($550,000-$500,000) 1200M/6 FURLONGS 12:55 PM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| POS | NO. | HORSE | JOCKEY | ODDS | WIN | PLACE | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Key Witness | Anthony Thomas | 5-1 | $341.00 | $157.00 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 5 | Lord Ashton | Roger Hewitt | 12-1 | $245.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | El Gringo | Samantha Fletcher | 9-1 | $301.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 4 | A Seh Soup | Christopher Mamdeen | 4-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 8 | Milkman | Phillip Parchment | 3-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| TRAINER: Nicholas Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Splits: 23.1 x 47.3 - Time: 1:16.2 - Margins: 1 1/2 by 2 1/4 - 8 Ran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ex: $5,588 | T/Fecta: $32,562 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| D/E: $1,197 | S/Fecta: $49,806 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
