Lady Abhijita upsets Oaks field
LADY Abhijita came running on from below the distance to overhaul the 99-1 bet Zacapa close home and win the 74th running of the $3,300,000 Bigga Jamaica Oaks sponsored by Wysinco Group Ltd at Caymanas Park today.
Ridden with faultless timing by jockey Paul Francis for owners Bombay Stud Farm, Lady Abhijita, who was allowed to go off as a 20-1 betting option, was sent in chase of the long-time leader Rhea’s A Superstar, ridden by Dane Nelson, entering the 800 metres pole.
Jockey Francis then found racing room between horses 150 metres out and sent the filly in chase of Rhea’s Superstar. No sooner than the leader was dismissed, Zacapa, who made a perfect turn entering the straight ridden by Ameth Robles, flowed freely forward along the running rails and had shot to the front with winning intent.
But Francis had Lady Abhijita in full flight by the time she was inside the final 100 metres. From that point it was only a matter of how far she would have won. She did by 1 1/4 lengths.
Trained by Richard Azan, Lady Abhijita’s time of 2:12.4 minutes for the Grade One Native-Bred three-year-old Futurity race for the Hilma M Veira Trophy did not break any record, but what the victory did was demonstrate the unpredictability of our local breeding stock going beyond sprint distances.
A field of 13 ran and Rhea’s A Superstar, who dictated the early fractions until passed some 150 metres out, held on for third, while the 3-2 favourite Perfect Day, ridden by Omar Walker, and the stablemate of Zacapa, completed the frame.
An over joyed Francis said: “I was very, very confident coming into the race and thought that she was going to win at odds of 20-1. When I came out and saw odds of 17-1, I turned to the groom and said three leave. I was really confident because I got on this horse a couple times in the mornings and she is really a journey horse.
“My strategy in the race was to get a clean break and sit about sixth or seventh, but after the break the horse was going on really good, so I found myself way back, but when I reached the half-mile (800 metres) I just maintained my cool as I remembered what happened last year and at the three-and-a-half, a gap opened and from then on I knew I was a winner.”
Francis’ estimation of Lady Abhijita is that “she will stay forever”.
Lady Abhijita, a dark bay filly, is the first progeny of the celebrated former local champion racer, Miracle Man, to win a Classic race on local soil. Out of Lady Bakul (Liver Stand), who is a producer of Classic winners, and bred by Henry William Jaghai, Lady Abhijita has failed to produce anything noteworthy in her previous Guineas prep or 1,000 Guineas races, but she was winning for the second time from 10 career starts and pocketed $1,782,000 as the winner’s share for her owners, and earnings of $2,701,750 lifetime.