KINGSTON, Jamaica - GREAT Britt, a hard knocking but inconsistent four-year-old grey filly, bred, owned, and trained by Carl Anderson, was in the post parade for the twenty-third occasion in her career.
She won at the first time of asking early last season but was capable of only one second and one third place since. She was declared with 2.5 kilograms overweight and endured another 0.5 for the services of Shane Ellis. Obviously enjoying the sloppy surface, Great Britt (3-1) worked her way to a four-and-a-half victory over the 1400 metres of the eleventh and featured Jamaica Jockeys’ Guild Trophy.
During the opening event, run over 1,100 metres, the Gary Subratie-schooled maiden Love Dub (9-5) was driven to victory by Dane Dawkins to move to 56 winners and be four ahead of reigning champion Anthony Thomas. Dawkins increased his advantage in the 1,300-metre fourth aboard Ian Parsard’s Dodge This Link at odds of 6-5.
However, Thomas was able to fashion a response in kind. Former inmate of the Nunes outfit, the 8-5 backed Conundrum was four and a half lengths clear at the line as Thomas kept the colt nicely balanced over the 1000-metre straight contest for trainer Ralph Roberts’s first success from 12 starts this season. In the tenth, to close Thomas’s double, Alford Brown’s speedy maiden Gracefully Made (4-5) succeeded in making all the running over 1,100 metres. The race was run on a sloppy surface, with mist and driving rain reducing visibility to the last 200 metres.
Race two, run over 1100 metres, was restricted to jockeys with no winners to date this season. Inevitably, the event went to 2-5 favourite Buckaluck ridden by Oneil Scott for trainer Steven Todd.
Even money favourite Monsieur Blue was nearly eight lengths superior to his nearest rival in releasing his maiden over the 1600 metres of race three. Ridden by Andre Powell for trainer Gresford Smith, the gelding is likely to have his next race in the Jamaica Derby on the sixth of July.
The condition of weight allotment in the fifth event gifted the first of two wins to champion trainer Anthony Nunes. Curlin’s Affair, declared with only 53 kilogrammes, won by just over one length but decisively so in the 1000-metre-round gallop with Reyan Lewis at the reins. Nunes had to wait an hour as his next opportunity was in the eighth race. To win the day’s eighth, Jordan Barrett showed some hitherto unknown riding skills to score by a short head aboard Rum Puncher at 9-2 for trainer Richard Azan.
Nunes’ double success was confirmed by 14-1 shot Bugatti heading the sprint over 1000 metres round for race eight, with jockey Tevin Foster making it look a lot easier than it was in reality.
Race nine was won by She’s So Fabulous (10-1) as the former six-time champion reinsman got the filly flying from the gates to open and establish a significant lead, leaving her rivals in trouble 400 metres out. With the chasing pack closing, the Dennis Thwaites-conditioned filly ran well inside the last 200 metres to hold the lead safely by just under one length.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Richard Azan for the sprint of Rum Puncher who has been competing over longer trips — including the 2000 Guineas — and who delivered the Best Winning Gallop under Jordan Barrett’s fearless rails run, balance, and correct use of whip that earns Barrett the Jockeyship Award.
