KINGSTON, Jamaica – The ten-race card staged on Saturday, April 29, 2023, provided racegoers with a number of talking points.
Chief among these were the performances of the three-year-old still unbeaten Ability trained by Patrick Lynch, and the coming of age of another Lynch inmate, dual Classic winner of last year, Blue Vinyl.
These two races will be dealt with in separate articles later in the week on this website.
RACE ONE – The win by Money Marshall in the lowest claiming call (four furlongs), broke the long winless sequence of trainer Henry Harrison Jr and jockey Nicholas Hibbert. The 1-2 favourite Okahumpka was a no-show and was subsequently claimed.
RACE TWO – As expected in this high-priced claiming event, the two horses coming down from Overnight Allowance, Nuclear Noon, and Alexa’s Dream dominated proceedings. Nuclear Noon was the winner with Alexa’s, Dream second. Both horses were subsequently claimed but the claim on Nuclear Noon was voided. After passing the winning post way ahead of the pack, jockey Tevin Foster quickly dismounted, thereby giving call the indication that all was not well with Nuclear Noon. Originally, Nuclear Noon was claimed by trainer Fitzgerald Richards for $1,000,000.
RACE THREE – Another odds-on (3-5) winner Ricky Ricardo obliged for well-seasoned claiming trainer Errol Subratie. Like in the race before the winning jockey Reyan Lewis jumped off Ricky Ricardo after going by the line, another indication that all was not right with the winner. Ricky Ricardo was the first of three winners on the day for Lewis.
RACE FOUR – The forcefulness and strength of powerful rider, Phillip Parchment finally paid dividends for the connections of underwhelming foreigner True Bravado. For second by the post Silver Fox (Dane Dawkins), it was his fourth consecutive second-place finish.
RACE FIVE – At long last, She’s My Friend, got over the line in front for the second occasion. This win by the Jason DaCosta trainee was achieved in her 26th career start, and she won with ease benefitting from a well-calculated ride by Reyan Lewis. She’s My Friend was Lewis’ second on the day.
RACE SIX – In only his second trip to the race day starting gates in 2023, Phoenix Risen, was expertly guided by Paul Francis for trainer Ryan Darby. Drawn on the mid-pack in the field of 14, Francis kept Phoenix Risen in a straight line throughout winning by 1 ¾ lengths. It was another win by trainer Darby outside of the claiming ranks. Phoenix Risen was the longest odds winner on Saturday, at 17-1.
RACE SEVEN – The rarity of three-year-olds racing around two turns came to reality for the 11 horses who were nominated to participate in the seventh. Longing for a longer route to travel, based on her three previous efforts, Brown Skin Girl gave a better indication of her worth. The chestnut filly trained by Jason DaCosta, with the recently installed stable jockey Reyan Lewis aboard, shot through on the inside rails, two and a half furlongs out, and then proceeded to put away her rivals by over 11 lengths. This win by Brown Skin Girl can be considered to be a precursor to the longer Classic races going forward, with probably the Jamaica Oaks (10 furlongs) on the radar of trainer DaCosta. Lewis closed his triple on Brown Skin Girl, to move one ahead of Tevin Foster in the jockeys’ championship, while it was win number two for DaCosta. Of interest, Brown Skin Girl raced with first-time Lasix.
RACE EIGHT – Having been away from the winner’s circle for a long period, all of a sudden trainer Anthony Dixon has become a frequent visitor. Last weekend Dixon watched as his importee, Major Force put on a defining run and followed on this race day with AKA Storm. Dixon’s win with AKA Storm can be attributed to the strong and timely handling of champion jockey Dane Dawkins. In a blast to the wire, Dawkins was able to rally the inner resources of AKA Storm, to nip tearaway leader Runway Icon with Givemethelight just three parts of a length in the third slot.
RACE NINE – Three-year-old Ability made it two wins from two starts. This race will be the subject of a separate article by The Quick Galloper.
RACE TEN – Blue Vinyl confirmed his status as a top-class campaigner with a formidable effort. This race will be the subject of a separate article by The Quick Galloper.
