The scheduled programme of ten races came to an end with the staging of race eight as the final event. With the island under a weather watch, causing flooding in many parishes, the St Catherine-based Caymanas Park was not spared.
A heavy downpour left the track officially sloppy for races seven and eight. It was quite noticeable that on turning for home in race eight, the riders kept their mounts well away from the inside rails. This meant that collectively the reinsmen had reached a conclusion that the track surface was not entirely safe there. A report to the officiating Operation Stewards resulted in the abandonment of races nine and ten.
For the first of a riding double, leading apprentice Tajay Suckoo, aboard favourite Tuts (6-5) in the day’s opener over six furlongs for $500 -400,000 claimers, had the little mare in front and on the bridle inside the first furlong to establish a significant early advantage. Clear approaching the distance, she ran well from the furlong pole to score by just over two lengths for owner/trainer Carlton Cunningham.
Race two, a Maiden Special Weight for native and imported three-year-olds run over six furlongs, went to the 1-9 bet Peter-John Parsard’s Badami (USA), with Bebeto Harvey the declared rider, she came home 13 lengths ahead of second-placed Cindy’s Rush (USA).
The third of seven winning favourites on the card turned out to be Canadian-bred Hi Slew Squared (3-2), trained by Patrick Lynch and ridden by Tevin Foster to score by one length over the 5 ½ furlongs of the Restricted Allowance III for horses three years and older run as race three.
Claiming apprentice Evertte Clunis was declared by owner/trainer Renex Burrell to partner Shelley The Rocket over the 5 ½ furlongs of race four. The five-year-old chestnut mare sprinted clear early to eventually win the Restricted Allowance IV event for four-year-olds and upwards by six lengths.
Owner/trainer Ajani Brown, a member of the cohort of 25 recently licensed trainers, got his first career lifetime memory, with Army Recruit (1-5), his second starter, scoring by a length in race five. This event was a Maiden Special Weight for four-year-olds and upwards over 5 ½ furlongs and, as a sporting gesture, trainers obliged by declaring jockeys who were winless since April 24, 2026, as stipulated in the Conditions of entry. Veteran Clive Lynch was the successful jockey.
Two-time and reigning Raddesh Roman champion reported sick and was unable to fulfil his declared engagement of five rides. Dane Dawkins, the 2022 champion, was the replacement option exercised by trainer Dalton Sirjue to partner Rush of Class (4-5). This race, run as a renewal of the Henry George Harrison Snr Memorial Cup, resulted in a near 15-length romp for Rush of Class over the six furlongs,
Prepared by Spencer Chung and guided by Ian Spence, Dean of the Caymanas jockey colony, to follow up on a winning debut on August 29, US-bred Dreambeachdreaming (1-5) impressed once again to win the seventh event. The gelded progeny of Slumber (USA) dominated the last four of the seven-furlong Restricted Stakes for non-winners of four races to win by just under six lengths.
Race eight, with half a dozen claimers valued at $1.0 million or $800,000, went to favourite Prince Amaan (9-5), the seventh for the odds and form players. Always in control of the pace, the Adrian Prince-conditioned winner bettered the nearest of his five rivals to register a victory margin of seven and three-quarters of a length. Winning rider Tajay Suckoo replaced absent Tyrese Anderson to claim his double success on the card.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Ajani Brown for the success of Army Recruit out for the 19th career maiden race. In delivering the Best Winning Gallop, Army Recruit could not have had a worse start and gave away over six lengths to begin with. This victory is owed in no small measure to the experience of Clive Lynch, who takes the Jockeyship Award for his patience, judgement of pace and composure. Lynch allowed his mount to make up the deficit gradually, rather than rapidly, and executed a timely successful late challenge.
