Four horses claimed on mid-week card

Four horses were claimed on Wednesday’s 10-race card at Caymanas Park and will be under new management when next at the races.

Two horses were taken from the second event, with the winner Foot Soldier going to Ian Roberts for himself from the barn of Leroy Tomlinson, while Bay Commander was claimed from Steven Todd by Dennis Pryce also for himself. Both these horse were tagged for $250,000 each.

Fourth event winner, Chief Secretariat was claimed from Fernando Geddes by Rudolph Hardial for owner Zella wile Keisha Lawrence tagged runner-up Bigbrowngreyhope from Raymond Townsend for K&M Racing Stables. Both horses were claimed for $180,000.

Adonis reaches Overnight Allowance after mid-week victory

The Anthony Nunes-conditioned Adonis continues to show his liking for the five-straight course after another strong performance over the distance on the 10-race mid-week programme at Caymanas Park.

That performance saw the four-year-old gelding by Blue Pepsi Lodge out of the Pat N Jac mare, La Reina, registering his third win on the trot and fourth in his nine-race career, all coming over the galloping straight course.

Ridden by Linton Steadman, the Elias Haloute-owned Adonis went straight in front from the wide draw in the seven-horse field and from there it became a mere formality. He was two-and-a-quarter lengths in front of Axle Rod (Simon Husbands) in a final time of 58.3 seconds, with splits of 22.3 and 45.0 seconds.

JamalJames (Reyan Lewis) and Cruising Motion (Raddesh Roman) completed the frame.

“His ( Adonis) mother La Reina was a very good five straight horse and his brother Siempre Bueno is also a very good five straight horse, so he is just following the trend as the family tends to like the straight course.

“It was a very good performance, he is now in Overnight Allowance company and I believe this is where the competition gets stiff and more competitive and we now want to know how far he can really go. I think he can get through the Overnight Allowance company, so let’s see what happens,” Nunes said in his post-race interview.

Foot Solider makes it three in a row

The rich form of Foot Soldier continued on Wednesday as the grey horse marched to a third consecutive victory in commanding fashion on the 10-race mid-week programme at Caymanas Park.

After registering back-to-back 10-length victories at the $180,000 level over eight and a half furlongs (1,700 metres) and nine furlong and 25 yards (1,820 metres) – the latter coming on New Year’s Day – Foot Soldier returned over the circular course and once again stamped his class, this time at the $250,000 claiming level.

Piloted by Robert Halledeen, the five-year-old by He’stherealthing – Ms Martha Brae by Yarrow Brae), came away well from the number two draw and sat comfortably behind favourite Top Eagle (Shane Ellis) leaving the club house turn.

Both horses exchange the lead on the backstretch, before Halledeen decided it was time to go and Foot Soldier slipped away by a length leaving the half mile and later opened up in the stretch despite a desperate chase by Ellis and Top Eagle.

Foot Soldier, the 5-2 shot, won by three-and-a-half lengths in 2:00.2 behind splits of 27.3, 34.2, 1:18.3 and 1:45.2, handing trainer Leroy Tomlinson his first win of the season.

Top Eagle stayed on for second with Buckaluck (Trevor Simpson) and Union Four (Milton Powell), completing the frame.

Afterwards there was little wonder that 50 claims were placed in the claiming box for Foot Soldier.

Sacrifice , Astro finally get it right

After numerous failed attempts at various distances, Sacrifice and Astro finally released their maiden tags with contrasting performances in their respective Maiden Condition events on Wednesday’s 10-race card at Caymanas Park.

The victory by Sacrifice, who was partnered by Raddesh Roman, was also the first of the year for owner-trainer Fitzgerald Richards and the apprentice, who replaced Tevin Foster in the saddle on this occasion.

Sacrifice, a four-year-old bay gelding ( Freedom for Jante – Kennisha by Dayton Flyer), came into the five and a half furlong (1,100 metres) event with little to fear from his six rivals and went straight to the lead and scored a facile victory from there.

The Lorenzo Robinson-bred gelding, justified favouritism as he blew away rivals with a commanding seven-length win in a moderate time of 1:08.4, setting splits of 24.2 and 48.4 seconds. Danceallnight (Roger Hewitt), Blu Attitude (Samantha Fletcher) and Brexit (Ruja Lahoe) took the minor shares.

The victory for Astro over six and a half furlongs (1,300 metres) came in the steward’s room after first in front at the post Sweetie Girl (Tevin Foster) was disqualified and unplaced for causing interference to Evasive Action (Daniel Satchell) at the start.

The Wilfred Chin-trained 9-2 shot Astro, ridden by Trevor Simpson, led from the gates opened and fought hard to stave off a challenge from Twilight Heroine (Robert Halledeen) in a gruelling stretch battle, before being overtaken by Sweetie Girl close to the wire.

The disqualification of Sweetie Girl propelled Astro to the top, winning by one and a quarter lengths ahead of Twilight Heroine, Mistrial (Jordan Barrett) and Cody’s Dream (Reyan Lewis). The winning time was a pedestrian 1:25.4 with splits of 25.1, 50.2 and 1:17.0.

Eye Candy as sweet as ever

Eye Candy went down fighting in a half-length defeat to Key Witness on January 23, but the Steven Todd-trained filly had no such difficulty on her return to action on Wednesday’s 10-race programme at Caymanas Park.

With very little pace to contend with in a Restricted Allowance event over seven and a half furlongs (1,500 metres), Eye Candy, at odds of 2-1 produced an impressive gate-to-wire performance under the guidance of former champion jockey Trevor Simpson.

The four-year-old chestnut filly ( Forest Danger – Regency by Legal Process) owned by Garth Samuels, romped the event by five lengths in a final time of 1:35.2 with splits of 24.2, 48.1 and 1:13.1.

My Mom Juss (Dane Nelson) closed well for second, with Isotope (Anthony Thomas) and Hot Ice (Shane Ellis), finishing third and fourth respectively.

US jockey Kent Desormeaux rides 6,000th career winner

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Jockey Kent Desormeaux rallied X S Gold over the final furlong at Santa Anita to earn his 6,000th career victory.

The 48-year-old Hall of Famer won the first race by a head for trainer Jim Cassidy on Sunday last to reach the plateau.

Desormeaux won his first race at Evangeline Downs in his native Louisiana on July 13, 1986. He soon moved to Maryland and went on to be the nation’s leading rider in 1987 with 450 victories. Two years later, he again led the nation with 598 wins. In 1990, he relocated to Southern California.

He has won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness three times each, the Belmont once and has six Breeders’ Cup victories.

Desormeaux says he’s now taking aim at Eddie Delahoussaye, who ranks 15th all-time with 6,383 victories. He would also like to win two more Kentucky Derbies to tie Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack’s mark of five each.

American jockey Victor Espinoza eyeing comeback in mid-February

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza says doctors have cleared him to resume his Hall of Fame riding career.

Espinoza exercised two horses at Santa Anita on Sunday, January 27. He has been side-lined since breaking a vertebra in his neck and injuring his left shoulder and arm in a training accident at Del Mar in July.

The 46-year-old jockey says now that doctors have signed off, it’s up to him to decide when he’s fit and ready to ride.

Brian Beach, Espinoza’s agent, says after getting opinions from three doctors he expects Espinoza to return in mid-February.