KINGSTON, Jamaica - After failing to make his mark in the first of two juvenile maiden special weight contests for native-bred and imported two-year-old runners with his 2/5 favourite Uncle Polly, trainer Wayne DaCosta returned for Division Two with better luck by posting the first time runner King Arthur, also a 2/5 favourite to a 2 ¼-length victory.
THE RACE
This was on the first race day (Friday, November 8) of two over the recent Diamond Mile weekend.
The bay colt by Natural Selection - Geisha’s Art by Pat N Jac though not the best away, his rider Omar Walker quickly got things in order and with authority to ease much of the disappointment experienced by trainer Wayne DaCosta, who had just witnessed the disappointing effort from his American bred juvenile Uncle Polly, also a first-time starter ridden by jockey Phillip Parchment in the previous race.
THE TRAINER’S COMMENT
Commenting on the winning start from his local-bred King Arthur, DaCosta said: “I will put it down as an encouraging start but I thought that he (King Arthur) ran on the green side. He missed the break but his rider did not rush him to catch up with the field so, it took him about a furlong and a half to do so but once he got to the furlong marker, he was strong from there all the way home. In fact, over the last furlong, he was going away. The final time of 1:20.1 was good, meaning King Arthur could have a bright future once he remains healthy and focussed.”
Golden Heights, a bay colt bred by Bellamy Road - Golden Locket by Storm Creek, ridden by the returning jockey Trevor Simpson for trainer Fitznahum Williams was second as a 9/1 chance with the DaCosta-conditioned American import Eagle One ridden by the apprentice Raddesh Roman finishing third, a length and a quarter behind as a 9/2 betting option. They travelled in exciting fractions of 23.0, 46.2 by 1:12.2 to complete 1,300 metres in a time of 1:20.1.
CONCLUSION
Good start by this three-year-old, King Arthur, but will have to improve quite a bit to have any chance of even getting near to the present juvenile leader, Wow Wow.
Golden Heights made a good debut and running on first time out over six and a half furlongs is a good sign.
