Mahogany to star in feature race

FLORIDA INVADER ROUGH ENTRY reproduced his Gulfstream Park form to outclass the local cast in yesterday's Mouttet Mile, clocking a solid 1:38.0, beating Jamaica Derby-winner ABILITY by seven lengths in the Caribbean's richest horse race. Entering the US$150000 event with a strong September 23 victory at six furlongs among $35000 claimers at…

It's tempting to get caught up in the Atomica versus Runaway Algo argument as the third staging of the $6-million Jamaica Cup main race takes place today at Caymanas Park. Their portfolios have been exceptional this season, making it tough to select an overall victor. Atomica, trained by Gary Subratie, made her seasonal debut on April 8 over a…

THE $2.5-million Philip Feanny Gold Cup feature, the centrepiece of today's nine-race schedule, is poised to feature one of Caymanas Park's most thrilling rivalries in recent memory when Mahogany faces I Am Fred going seven furlongs (1400m). The well-decorated Mahogany, trained by Ian Parsard, has only raced three times this year. He is fresher…

Featured on the eight-race programme and staged as the seventh was the 2023 renewal of the Royal Dad Trophy. This, in honour of the 1981 Triple Crown hero, the first at the then 22-year-old Caymanas racetrack. Since then, there has been another 11 Triple Crown champions, Monday Morning (1987), Lui Chie Poo (1988), The…

Outsider Essential Quality burst the bubbles of her more favoured rivals, as she turned the third running of the Winston "Fanna" Griffiths Classic into a procession at Caymanas Park on Saturday. Another levelheaded ride by jockey Raddesh Roman saw the Oral Hayden-owned and trained chestnut filly, proving the class of the three-year-old Graded…

What was expected to be a match-race between God of Love and Yellowstone, proved their undoing, as both went too fast, too early and it paved the way for the late-running Perfect Brew to snare the 19th running of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) Trophy race at Caymanas Park on Tuesday. Piloted by reigning champion jockey Dane…

The improving Strike Smart (Omar Walker) is on his way to winning his second race.(Photos: Naphtali Junior) THERE were sundry technical issues with a malfunctioning digital platform affecting the operation of cameras, leaving many punters unable to place bets. There was a significant delay to the start of the second event, which was understandably…

Jason DaCosta's Mamma Mia, the 1000 Guineas winner, and Richard Azan's 2000 Guineas conqueror Mojito, were both hunting what would have been the second jewel in the Triple Crown series, but Thalita, also conditioned by DaCosta, spoiled the party, as she copped the 97th running of the Jamaica St Leger in commanding fashion on Saturday. By virtue of…

She battled to make an impact after first arriving on the scene, but the Chris Pollard-trained Cudjerie is clearly one of the in-form sprinters in the Top End. The four-year-old mare made it five wins from her past seven starts with victory in Heat 2 of the Ladbrokes Summer Sprint Series (1200m) at Fannie Bay on Saturday. A handicap event (0-70),…

James Cummings won't be surprised to see unheralded mare Zapateo spoil the party when she takes on some big-name sprinters in the Concorde Stakes at Randwick. The multiple Group winner has a handy strikerate of seven victories from 18 starts but significantly, is proven over Saturday's 1000-metre journey, a statistic Cummings says can prove a key…

THE 2022 racing year is now confined to the annals of history and once again the industry - through the efforts of the lovers of the sport involving the ownership of horses, Jamaica Racing Commission personnel, the board of directors and the operatives of promoting company Supreme Venture Racing & Entertainment Limited, backed by the professional…

Jason DaCosta is set to start his first season as champion trainer at Caymanas Park by landing Monday's Fan Appreciation Day Trophy race with United States-bred LURE OF LUCY at nine furlongs and 25 yards. LURE OF LUCY ran a cracker against her classic-winning stablemate, MINIATURE MAN, at the distance in the December 3 Chairman's Plate, finishing…

Race Review - Saturday, November 12, 2022 From the moment the 10 nominations were published, the first renewal of the 1900-metre, $6.0-million Jamaica Cup generated huge talking points. This marquee event was billed mainly as a clash of successful 2022 Classic aspirants, namely Atomica (Jamaica Derby & 1000 Guineas) and Blue Vinyl (Jamaica St Leger…

Leading trainer Jason DaCosta's MINIATURE MAN, last year's 2000 Guineas winner, reported off a two-month break to land Sunday's Caymanas Park feature, the Announcers' Trophy at six and a half furlongs, with seven-pound female claiming rider Abigail Able. Able, who had opened the weekend of racing astride DaCosta's IANZHA LINKS on Saturday, rode a…

LAST year's Jamaica Derby winner, CALCULUS, is down two grades as a chalk at Caymanas Park in Sunday's Kenneth Mattis Memorial at nine furlongs and 25 yards, facing overnight-allowance runners after failing by a half-length to catch KING ARTHUR in the grade one Eros Trophy six weeks ago, allowing the 2020 derby winner 11lbs. Having not won since…

Winston "Fanna" Griffiths, the man who has ridden the most winners overall (1663) and also the most Classic winners at Caymanas Park, will once again be honoured with a trophy race. The Winston "Fanna" Griffiths Classic, for native-bred three-year-olds non-winners of a Grade 1 race over 9 ½ furlongs (1900m) has attracted a field of eight…

Horse racing fans near and far, whether serious or neophyte, will be heading to the racetrack, the off-track betting parlours, or will be seated comfortably in their living rooms glued to the television sets as Blue Vinyl seeks his place in the record books when he takes on nine rivals in the 102nd staging of the $7.5-million Jamaica Derby, the…

KING ARTHUR won the battle of derby winners on Saturday, turning back CALCULUS to score a half-length victory in the seven-furlong Eros Trophy for Open Allowance/Graded Stakes runners at Caymanas Park. The 2000 Jamaica Derby winner made the most of a light impost, 115lb, an 11lb advantage over CALCULUS, to land his second Open Allowance win in two…

Trainer Ian Parsard dominated Saturday's co-features at Caymanas Park with American JORDON REIGN'S and his imported-in-utero stablemate, BIG JULE, both registering impressive victories in the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame Stakes and the Reynold'Ren' Gonzalves Memorial, respectively. JORDON REIGN'S notched his fifth win in seven starts, beating…

The 2022 season of Futurity competition continued with the 96th renewal of 2000-metre Jamaica St Leger featured on the 10-race programme. Run as the 10th race, this second jewel of the Triple Crown was one of the most anticipated in recent years. Wide-margin winners of the 1600 metres 1000 and 2000 Guineas Atomica (163/4 lengths) and Blue Vinyl (9¼…

ATOMICA on Saturday scored one of the widest margins of victory ever recorded in the 1000 Guineas, a 20-length victory clocked in 1:37.0 with Dane Dawkins a mere passenger at Caymanas Park. Our Angel with Robert Halledeen finished second at 30-1, just a neck ahead of third-place SILENT MISSION at 14-1 with Omar Walker. The Gary Subratie-trained…

GO DEH GIRL closed a two-timer for Tevin Foster on Saturday's 11-race card at Caymanas Park, outsprinting 4-5 favourite GOD OF LOVE at five furlongs straight in the Pari-Mutuel Department Trophy for open-allowance runners. The United States-bred four-year-old filly won at odds of 2-1 for champion trainer Anthony Nunes, quickening inside the final…

The topsy turvy classic campaign ended on a dramatic note at Caymanas Park yesterday, with the little fancied SUPERLUMINAL scoring a stunning upset (35-1) in the 89th running of the ISP Finance Services Limited Jamaica St Leger, for native bred three-year-olds over 2000 metres. Ridden by Paul'Country' Francis for veteran trainer Harry Parsard and…