… Super Cat upstages Wicked Intention
SABRINA Princess shocked the field to take the feature race and the whopping G$1M first prize that came with it at the annual Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) Boxing Day horserace meeting held at the club’s Bush Lot, Corentyne track on Sunday. Piloted by jockey Paul Delph who rode a tactical race, three-year-old Sabrina Princess came from behind to take the event from pre-race favourites The Message, Tropical Fashion and Face the Music in that order.
But while persons were celebrating the upset victory by the outsider, the owners and connections of both defending champion Annie’s Playmate and Sweet Revenge were fighting a losing battle to save their horses’ lives after the race, as both collapsed and were later pronounced dead in the observation circle ring.
On a day filled with exciting clashes between the pre-race favourites, jockey Mark Vossey guided Super Cat to a comfortable pole to pole upset victory over the seemingly undefeated Wicked Intention to take the Digicel-sponsored two-years-old six furlongs event from Royal Salute, Wicked Intention and Water Wave respectively.
The day was not without the usual close finishing controversies, as the connections of Peaceful, which is owned and trained by Colin Elcock, felt their charge that was ridden by Jamaican jockey Andron Findlay had won the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL)/El Dorado-sponsored three-years-old event.
In fact, Sabrina Princess which is owned by Kris Jagdeo was set to compete in this event but was pulled to take on the bigger fishes in the feature event, which made the race a four-horse event, in which Fairy Landing ridden by Daniel Floris, snatched a half-neck victory from Peaceful.
Findlay, who was later named the champion jockey, with Delph as his runner-up, handled his charge well after being sent on their way and led the entire race, but was joined by the eventual winner inside the final furlong.
Findlay made a blunder when he steered his charge from the centre of the track to the right and approximately three feet off the rail, where Floris was guiding Fairly Landing and that allowed Floris to sneak past him with just under 25 metres to go and take the $400 000 first prize.
The day’s event got under way despite a brief shower, with Prem Chandra, who returned to racing after a shoulder injury that required a steel implant, piloting Sir Balajee to a comfortable victory over South Sea and Pixie Fire in the G and Lower category, to take the $200 000 first prize and trophy compliments of NALICO/NAFICO.
Beyonce (not the American diva), showed her true worth with a maiden victory, doing so by five lengths over Bush Man and Natural Black to take the P&P Insurance-sponsored trophy and $110 000 cash prize that came along with it in the K and Lower category.
Delph was aboard Fresh Prospect when he stormed to victory from the back of a seven-horse field in the F and Lower six furlongs event, after Home Bush Baby and Laura Lee in Flight took matters into their own hands.
The two frontrunners led the field all the way to the final turn for home, following which Delph, who rode a tactical race, took Fresh Prospect to the outside just after the turn from home where he remained unchallenged to gallop away with a comfortable four-length victory over Laura Lee in Flight, Home Bush Baby and Sweet Revenge in that order, along with the $250 000 first prize.
Findlay was at it again, piloting Extra Heat to a four-length victory over Try Again, Beyonce and Bounty Flyer in the I3 Maiden J and Lower category event that was sponsored by several business entities, with the first place trophy being donated by Michelle Mathieson.
But the race that set tongues wagging was the feature event, as some felt horses in the calibre of Miss Oriente, Marathon Man, Tropical Passion, The Message, Face the Music, Sweet Revenge and last year’s winner Annie’s Playmate would have carted off the top place prize that was sponsored by the Kharag family in New York.
As they passed the pole for the first of two times, the 12 horses were together as no jockey intended to give his opponent any breathing space.
As they approached the penultimate turn for home, Sweet Revenge and Annie’s Playmate dropped off the pace, a clear sign that something was amiss as they are both known to be late movers in any nine furlongs race held locally.
At the turn for home, Delph, who was astride the victorious Sabrina Princess, called on his filly to make her move and she responded positively to take the race by one-half of a length from The Message which was guided by Findlay, Tropical Passion (Joshua Singh) and Face the Music (Yhap Drepaul) respectively.
The final race of the day saw Findlay chalk up his third win to go with his three seconds and one third-place finish, when he guided Funny Sided to victory in the I and Lower seven furlongs event that carried a first prize of $150 000 and a trophy compliments of Winston and family from Toronto.