KINGSTON, Jamaica - Following True Al Sky’s triumph in a Restricted Stakes event over nine furlongs and 25 yards (1,820m) on Saturday, July 17, trainer Alford Brown said that he was not impressed with his charge’s effort and so the bay filly will not occupy a starting stall in the upcoming Jamaica Oaks (fillies only) set for Saturday, August 7 over 10 furlongs (2,000m).
With more fancied rivals Big Jule and She’s My Destiny declared late non-starters, True Al Sky seized the opportunity by romping the event by four lengths under bang in-form jockey Shane Ellis.
True Al Sky sat off the pace for most of the way as she raced into fourth place down the backstretch behind Awesome Choice (Jerome Innis), Sudden Flight (Jordan Barrett), and Princess Lizzy (Ricardo Duhaney).
True Al Sky made her move at the half-mile turn when she went in chase of Awesome Choice before hitting the front – full of running at the top of the drive. She was then guided home by Ellis as Awesome Choice held on for second place and Princess Lizzy third. The final time was 2:01.2.
“Not an impressive performance. I was not impressed at all by True Al Sky. It is as if she doesn’t stay a distance of ground. This was a prep race to see if we could go forward to the Oaks.
“But based on what I saw today [Saturday] in the last furlong of the race, even though there was a strong headwind out there, you could see her faltering, and if she had real competition, she wouldn’t have won. There is no Jamaica Oaks for her,” Brown said.
Commenting on the future of his charge, Brown said: “True Al Sky is still eligible for another Restricted Stakes, so we will race out her condition and keep her winning at distances I believe are more suitable for her, which are anywhere up to 7 furlongs or 7 ½ furlongs and maybe up to a mile.
“She is a pretty good horse with a lot of scope for improvement. This is her fifth run, and so I can’t kill her too much.”
