KINGSTON, Jamaica - Following the emphatic win by Blue Vinyl in the $3-million The Kingston feature on Saturday (May 8), trainer Patrick Lynch believes his chestnut colt will be the horse to beat in next month’s 2000 Guineas, the start of the Classics series of races for the three-year-old colts and geldings.
THE RACE — BACKGROUND
Blue Vinyl has been consistent throughout the prep races this season, finishing fourth by two lengths behind Tekapunt in the Sir Howard Stakes (six furlongs) on March 13; second by a short head to Emperorofthecats in the Prince Consort Stakes (seven furlongs) on April 3 before a third-place finish defeat by Luksol and Nomoredeals on April 23, wearing the blinkers for the first time.
Running with the blinkers off in The Kingston, Blue Vinyl crushed rivals by 3 ¼ lengths in the native-bred three-year-old Graded Stakes event over 7 ½ furlongs (1,500m). The final time of 1:32.4 was a new stakes record.
Ridden by jockey Raddesh Roman, Blue Vinyl (Bern Identity out of Blufield) got himself into a striking position early in the race when occupying third place behind Emperorofthecats (Andre Martin) and KP Choice (Andre Powell) down the backstretch.
Blue Vinyl got the opening on the inside rails at the top of the drive and the chestnut colt responded to the urgings of his rider by dashing away from rivals to secure his second win from seven career starts. Perfect Brew (Dick Cardenas) came on strong for second place, a nose in front of Supreme Song (Tevin Foster) who came from far behind to earn third place.
THE COMMENTS — TRAINER PATRICK LYNCH
“You could see that in his last race when he finished third, Blue Vinyl was playing around, he was not settled and as such did not give his best. He was not as sharp as he should have been in that contest. After some analysis the team concluded that he (Blue Vinyl) needed to see the horses he was competing against to have a comfortable run and well today (Sunday), we allowed him to see the horses he came up against, and then he took it from there. From I got this horse, that is, from day one, he told me that he has the potential to do things and so all I had to do was to keep him in the right frame of mind and you know, we will get what we want from him. Just like today, I am confident going into the Classics with the 2000 Guineas being the first stop.”
THE COMMENTS — JOCKEY RADDESH ROMAN
“Blue Vinyl is a very nice horse and I am just happy that I have been given the opportunity to ride him in such a big race as The Kingston. I know this horse well as I am usually on him in the mornings during the exercise period. Today (Sunday), the trainer instructed me to get a clean break, keep him close to the pace, wait, and then make a move just before turning for home. Thankfully, I was able to execute the plan of the trainer, and we got the win. One thing I will tell you is that Blue Vinyl will get a distance of ground; so the upcoming longer Classic races will not be a problem.”
THE ANALYSIS
After a weak start by the colts and geldings’ cohort as two-year-olds and in the three-year-old season when compared with the fillies, finally a colt has arrived in the form of Blue Vinyl to challenge what has been thus far the clear ascendency of the fillies led by first Golden Wattle and now Atomica. The three-year-old fillies will not come up against their male counterparts in the Classics until July when it’s time for the 10-furlong Jamaica St Leger. But, first, there are the 1000 Guineas (fillies only) and the 2000 Guineas (colts and geldings) to deal with.
With this win, Blue Vinyl has soared to the top of the rankings. He now has the race experience, and he gets better and better every time he competes, plus he has the added advantage of craving to go long.
THE POSITIVES
Although finishing fourth Emperorofthecats, who started as the even-money favourite in The Kingston, ran well despite allowing lumps of weight to rivals. Emperorofthecats was five kilogrammes heavier than Blue Vinyl, with the toll of the weight affecting him in the final furlong. The effort by Emperorofthecats was bold and demonstrated a doggedness that every racehorse needs to be successful.
Finishing third, coming from well of the pace in The Kingston was the surprise package Supreme Song. This well-bred gelding entered The Kingston with only two runs under his girth and did himself and his connections proud. Supreme Song is peaking at the right time and although he may not reach his best for the 2000 Guineas in three weeks, he is going to be in contention, but look out for him in the St Leger and the Derby.
The owner of Blue Vinyl, M & M Racing Stable led by Michael Gayle deserves credit for his contribution to racing. Gayle, has been owning horses for a while, to incldue among others Tashara, Shade of Beauty, and Dwayne Star. Now with Blue Vinyl he has a real chance of winning a Classic, which is always the hope of any owner.
THE NEGATIVES
Unfortunately, Deezi broke one of his bones close to the four-furlong marker and had to be put down.
CONCLUSION
It is still a wide-open affair going into the 2000 Guineas.
