KINGSTON, Jamaica - The 1100-metre Supreme Ventures Limited 20th Anniversary Trophy was the ninth and featured event on the 10-race card. Two decades have sped by since the major gaming entity launched its lottery operations, and is now in its fifth year as the sole promoter of live horse racing in Jamaica. Trainer Fitzgerald Richards conditions two of the more consistent top sprinters namely Patriarch and God of Love for patron Vincent Maine. The former secured the advantageous number one post position and made the early pace comfortably enough.
Clear on Patriarch, entering the final 200 metres, Dick Cardenas, looking for his 700th Caymanas success, suddenly found a threat in the form of God of Love (Dane Nelson) looming on his inside. Congratulations is well deserved for Cardenas in achieving this milestone, and also for his skill in inducing Patriarch to battle well enough to last for a reducing short head margin of victory. This was six-year-old Patriarch’s 14th career triumph from 31 starts.
The opening 1600-metre event presented trainer Gary Subratie with the first of his three trips to the winners’ enclosure on the day, with favourite Rack Away (Tevin Foster) scoring by over five lengths.
Trainer Donovan Russell had his second success of the season after he saddled Mighty Chelsea (Roger Hewitt), the even-money favourite, to win the 1100-metre second event by 4 ¼ lengths.
Joint champion Dane Nelson rode his sole winner on the card on trainer Gary Crawford’s Tradition, who landed the third at odds of 4/1.
In the afternoon’s fourth, apprentice Oshadane Robinson, in registering his first success, had his moment, which no jockey to their dying day ever forgets. Declared by trainer Borris McIntosh to ride Silver Tapp, a big five-year-old chestnut making its first racecourse appearance, Robinson handled the inexperienced horse well enough to score by over three lengths.
Gregory Forsyth, the newly crowned claiming monarch, continued his recent run of successes, 11 wins from 37 starts this season, as Mr Universe (Anthony Thomas) was always in control of the pace of the 1000-metre straight, fifth event to score by two lengths.
Speaking of control, Vanquisher (Matthew Bennett), trained by Ray Phillips, cruised to victory by over four lengths in the 1000-metre straight, sixth event.
Subratie’s second on the card was delivered in great style by One Don (Robert Halledeen), the progressive three-year-old, USA-imported colt, in the 1500-metre seventh. Always travelling well, the nicely conformed chestnut made light of top weight, coming home six lengths clear of nearest rival.
With trainer Fitzgerald Richards winning the feature, the smaller outfits, with seven wins on the card, had an unusually good day as Junior Small saddled Don Almighty (Shane Ellis) to score by better than six lengths in the 1100-metre eighth race.
Eventually the three wins for Subratie ensured the dominating 2021 performance of the second generation trainers is still ongoing, with the winning tally increasing to 178 from 382 races this year.
In-form reinsman Dane Dawkins displayed the requisite patience aboard Big Big Daddy in the 1800-metre nightcap, while Anthony Thomas went to the front too early on the Jason DaCosta -conditioned Fearless Champion.
After a sustained battle with Let Him Fly (Jerome Innis), having wrested the lead 600 metres out, Fearless Champion appeared to idle entering the last 200 metres and succumbed by a fighting neck to the challenge of the well-ridden Big Big Daddy, thus giving Subratie his third success of the afternoon.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Borris McIntosh for overcoming the obvious challenge in preparing Silver Tapp to make a winning first appearance at five years old. The Best Winning Gallop was displayed by Big Big Daddy, and rider Dane Dawkins earns yet another Jockeyship Award.
