Calculus stamps his class in Alex Hamilton Trophy
KINGSTON, Jamaica - The feature event of 10 races was run as the seventh and was the first renewal of the 1600-metre Alexander Hamilton Memorial Trophy. This race honoured the life work of the late cane farmer, racehorse breeder, owner, who was a president of the Jockey Club and served as chairman of the standing Horse of the Year committee.
Only a field of five was available to honour the contribution of a man who bred and raced a significant number of thoroughbreds in the highest classes successfully.
Toting top weight Calculus (3/5), dual Classic hero of the 2021 St Leger, Jamaica Derby, while adding the Gold Cup as the icing on the big races cake, looks likely to be a major threat to the winning aspirations of all comers when the richer events become available later this year. Ridden by Shane Ellis, the Gary Subratie-tuned four-year-old bay colt, sired by Sensational Slam conceded three kilogrammes to chief threat Oneofakind (Robert Halledeen) and scored more comfortably than the margin of a half a length would suggest. For the current leading trainer, this was the first of a double on the day.
Trained by Philip Lee, ridden by Robert Halledeen and bet as the favourite at 4/5, recent claim Let Him Fly was gifted with eight inferior opponents and was ahead by nearly three lengths at the end of the 1400-metre opening race gallop.
Half an hour later former four-time champion Dane Nelson persuaded an irresistible late sprint in the final 100 of the 1600 metres of the second to win on the Anthony Nunes-trained three-year-old colt Roraima.
Race three saw Shaun Williams’ General Mubaraak (10/1) inflict a similar consecutive defeat on wide-running favourite Sir Arjun Babu (Dane Nelson) as Andre Powell realised his mount would have a clear path against the far rails in the home stretch.
At the end of the next half-hour, Shane Ellis had the first of his two wins on the card in the 1100-metre fourth aboard maiden Silver Fox (1/5) schooled by Michael Marlowe.
In race five over 1200 metres, three-time and current champion Anthony Thomas was as enterprising as ever on seizing the opportunity on Sweetyman at 5/1, trained by Oneil Markland, to be ahead from halfway and hold on by the narrowest margin.
Race six, run at 1100 metres, was won by Silverstine at 20/1 with three-kilogramme claiming apprentice Romario Spencer doing the honours for trainer Lee Clarke.
Well-fancied Mother Nature (8/5) outsprinted rivals to win the 1,000-metres straight race eight for trainer Gregory Forsyth. This was the first of three winners for in-form reinsman Tevin Foster. Milkman (11/1) opened the seasonal account of trainer Dennis Pryce, adding a second for Foster over the same course in the ninth. United States-bred Sweet N Smart (5/2) from the well-appointed Gary Subratie outfit and running over 1,400 metres in the nightcap, confirmed double success for the stable and Foster’s hat-trick to improve the consistent rider’s career tally to 100 winning rides.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Gary Subratie for the weight-defying victory of Calculus, moving his bankroll to $11 million from six wins from 15 starts, with the Best Winning Gallop of the ten displayed on the programme. Shane Ellis earns yet another Jockeyship Award for his tactical presentation of riding challenges devoid of interference and/or intimidation, which left Halledeen in a state of uncertainty as to whether to challenge on the outside or choose a different path to overtake.
