KINGSTON, Jamaica - Royal Dad, the first Triple Crown winner at Caymanas Park, will be remembered on Sunday with the running of the race named in his honour.
The Royal Dad Trophy, competed for over nine furlongs and 25 yards (1,820m), has eight runners declared.
Many of the starters are using this Restricted Stakes event as a prep race for the Jamaica St Leger later this month.
Below is an analysis of the runners entered and their chances of winning.
1 - NIPSTER: (3 b c by Casual Trick – Nippit) – Nipster, who is just behind the leading three-year-olds at this time, went down fighting on August 15 going a mile (1,600m). Then Nipster was beaten by a neck by the American-bred Eroy in a blanket finish. Nipster races for the first time around two turns in what is a learning experience as he prepares for the 10-furlong Jamaica St Leger at the end of September. If Nipster is going to have a say in the said St Leger, he will have to beat these and beat them comfortably.
2 - BEST DAUGHTER EVER: (USA): (3 gr f by He’s Had Enough – Family First) – Best Daughter Ever has to produce much more than her ‘A’ game to conqueror this lot.
3 - ONEOFAKIND: (3 ch c by Fearless Vision – The Golden One) – Defeated Fearless Champion and Tomohawk by 3 ½ lengths over a mile on August 16. Oneofakind won that race in a time of 1:40.0, which underscored the rapid progress he is currently making. Then given that Tomohawk finished fourth in the 2000 Guineas suggests that Oneofakind has more than a winning shot here. Oneofakind is the only horse of the eight in this trophy race line-up to have won over the distance on offer on Sunday, which gives him a distinct advantage. He exhibits a strong likeness for the longer distances which should make Oneofakind’s final rattle even more stinging.
4 - KING ARTHUR: (3 b c by Natural Selection – Geisha’s Art) – Makes a rapid return to the starting gates having raced last weekend when he was an easy winner by 3 ¼ lengths travelling 6 ½ furlongs. King Arthur’s is still an unknown quantity and this contest might reveal more clues of his true ability. As such, King Arthur is not expected to win but he will not be disgraced.
5 - GREEN GOLD RUSH: (3 b g by Adore The Gold – Princess Lorna) – Finished in third place behind Eroy and Nipster in that one-mile call on August 15. Green Gold Rush was only a neck away from Nipster and now going longer, which is more to his liking, his final rattle in deep stretch might prove hard to withstand.
6 - DOUBLE CROWN: (3 ch g by Bellamy Road – Salty Talk) – After his third-place finish in the 2000 Guineas, Double Crown was expected to put away rivals in the one-mile event on August 15 but failed to deliver. Then Double Crown broke badly and never really threatened, finishing fourth. Double Crown faces both Nipster and Green Gold Rush again here but with more ground to cover can rebound with a win. Dick Cardenas replaces Shane Ellis in the irons.
7 - ROY ROGERS: (4 gr g by Distorted – Soca Party) – Finished third behind Big Bang and Coco Chanel seven days ago when venturing a mile. Roy Rogers faces stiffer competitors and should not unduly impact the outcome.
8 - RUM WITH ME: (3 b c by Casual Trick – Zacapa) – Showed nothing on last with little or no improvement expected. Races with the blinkers on.
