TRAINER Robert Pearson’s highly touted two-year-old filly Mighty Gully made a sensational debut at Caymanas Park on Saturday, October 26, 2024, sending shock waves of excitement throughout the racing community.

Her impressive performance has sparked optimism among her connections about her bright future in the sport.

Ridden by Abigail Able, Mighty Gully contested the maiden two-year-old call over 4½ furlongs (900m). The bay filly, sired by Buzz Nightmare out of Lady Exotic, demonstrated remarkable raw speed and agility despite displaying early immaturity.

Mighty Gully’s inexperience showed as she “pranced across the track”, but her natural talent, athleticism, and determination ultimately prevailed. She crossed the finishing line by a length ahead of Ideal Winna (Tevin Foster), with Hazelnut (Dane Dawkins) securing a respectable third place.

Most notably, Mighty Gully’s winning time of 53.1 seconds shattered the track record for the distance, underscoring her immense potential and cementing her status as a rising star in Jamaican racing. The previous mark was 53.4 seconds, jointly owned by Power Ranking (October 31, 2021) and Rejected Raja (October 30, 2023).

Trainer Pearson expressed his satisfaction with the filly’s performance.

“This filly [Mighty Gully] gives the early impression that she is a sprinter in the making. Based on what I saw in the mornings, this race on Saturday, I thought this first run would be decided by my filly and Ideal Winna — and so it turned out,” Pearson said.

He continued, “I am pleased with her first effort. She has good early speed, and she used it effectively.”

Pearson tempered enthusiasm over Mighty Gully’s impressive debut, adopting a cautious stance on her future plans.

“So far, so good,” Pearson said, “but it’s too early to make a full assessment. We need to evaluate how she’s come out of the race,” he explained.

As for when Mighty Gully might return to the track, Pearson indicated a wait-and-see approach. “She has to get time to develop and may race one more time before the end of the year. We will see what happens,” he concluded.