KINGSTON, Jamaica - Title-chasing trainer Anthony Nunes said he was not pleased with the efforts of both rider Reyan Lewis and horse Tricky One, despite an easy win in the $1-million iCool Guava Pine Restricted Allowance event on Saturday.
The three-year-old bay colt produced a late run to beat rivals by 1 ¼ lengths going nine furlongs and 25 yards (1,820m) in a smart time of 1:57.3 on a racetrack that was considered sloppy due to heavy rainfall.
Tricky One (Casual Trick – The Golden One) sat behind the pace for most of the way as he watched from mid-pack as his stable companion San Siro (Jerome Innis) led the field. Morning Blossom (Paul Francis), Purple Wayne (Anthony Thomas) and Chief Diplomat (Raddesh Roman) gave chase around the clubhouse turn and onto the back stretch.
At that stage Tricky One was still labouring somewhat off the pace on the inside rails as the leaders began to inject some pace in the race heading towards the half-mile (800m).
However, navigating the final bend, Tricky One started to get rolling and once he hit top stride entering the home stretch, the race was pretty much over as the bay colt came home quite easily in the end.
Blood Fire (Shane Ellis), who tried to make a challenge inside the final furlong, finished in second place, with Purple Wayne getting third place in the end. Splits for the race were 27.2 x 53.1 x 1:18.3, and 1:43.1.
“In fairness, I thought that he (Tricky One) didn’t get the smartest of rides. He got cut off in the first turn by the number five horse (Morning Blossom) who came down, and he (Reyan Lewis) had to sit back in the saddle.
“But I thought he was a little hesitant towards the half-mile where, you know, he didn’t really ask him (Tricky One) to go down into the race. So he ended up giving him more work than what should have happened.
“Down the lane he was lugging in and instead of being aggressive on him and riding him out and I just thought he rode him tentatively and he got the job done, but in my mind, Tricky One is better than that. Tricky One has moved up to the Restricted Stakes company but I think he will hold his own there,” Nunes informed.
