‘She showed guts and glory,’ says trainer Nunes
John E Goode, Elias Haloute and Stephan Narinesingh’s Selectabook surprised her more fancied rivals as she drew off from the field inside the last 50 metres to win the 39th running of the $3.6 million Jamaica 1000 Guineas by 1 3/4 lengths at Caymanas Park on Monday.
Selectabook, who upset rivals as a 5-1 betting option, was the early winter book favourite for the fillies Guineas, sponsored by LP Azar Ltd, she but fell through the crack at the emergence of Argentina, who started as the 3-2 favourite after she popped up and held sway following her pleasing victory in her Thornbird Guineas prep.
Ridden by Panamanian jockey Dick Cardenas for trainer Anthony Nunes, Selectabook came running on strongly from 150 metres out to take the lead inside 50 metres before going on to win the first Classic of the season for native-bred three-year-old futurity fillies. The time for 1,600 metres was 1:41.1 minutes.
Trainer Nunes was not surprised by his filly’s performance. “Tell you the truth she worked so brilliantly going into this race I would have been extremely disappointed had she not put forward a good effort,” he said.
And as to how he felt when the filly looked completely out of it at the start and again when challenged by a determined Perfect Day inside 200 metres, he said: “I tell you what she showed was guts and glory at those points and brought it home.”
Haloute added: “It is always a good feeling to win, but it was not a roller coaster, it has been up and down. Horses are not easy. Four months ago we had two potential winners. Now we have nothing in the 2000 Guineas. That’s how racing goes. So to win here helps to cancel out all the pains and heart aches of racing. I’m always glad to here.”
Perfect Day, ridden by Panamanian jockey Ameth Robles, came running on boldly once more after finding racing room between horses, but as she did in the Thornbird Stakes, has to be content for second money, as a 3-1 bet. The 54-1 chance Go Go Train flowed forward freely from last under Richard Mitchell to finish another six lengths back third, with Rhea’s A Superstar at odds of 23-1 and who led the field around the home turn, closely followed by Lady Sharvani ridden by Omar Walker, and the eventual winner a step away on the outside, completed the frame with leading jockey Dane Nelson astride. Fourteen ran as Princess Sassy was declared a late non-starter.
Selectabook is a bay filly by Natural Selection out of Buyabook (Take Me Out) bred at (YS (1955) Ltd) was winning for the second time from five career starts and earned $1,944,000 as the winner’s share for a bankroll of $2,587,550 lifetime.