Trainer Peter-John Parsard (fourth right) and other connections with Bootylicous (Ismael Velasquez) in the winners' enclosure after the mare won the $1.4-million Reggae Month Trophy on Sunday, February 9, 2025. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)
Bootylicious to retire from racing
Mare’s final year to be celebrated with hopes of adding more wins to her resume
Bootylicious, the talented and accomplished thoroughbred, will be retiring from racing at the end of the year, but not before she adds a few more wins to her impressive resume.
The news was revealed by her trainer, Peter-John Parsard, after the five-year-old bay mare won the $1.4-million Reggae Month Trophy feature on Sunday, February 9, 2025, her third consecutive victory.
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Parsard praised Bootylicious’s performance, saying, “I am definitely happy with her progress… She has done very, very well. I mean, from a horse that was up for sale at last year’s mixed sale and was undervalued in the market, we knew that we are going to be able to squeeze a little more out of her ability, and thankfully, we took the chance, and it worked out for us,” Parsard told the Jamaica Observer’s
The Supreme Racing Guide.
Ridden by Panamanian Ismael Velaquez, Bootylicious (Key to Power – Keep The Faith) made one move to win the Open Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upward over 5 furlongs (1,000m) straight by 2 ¼ lengths. Blue Vinyl (Dane Dawkins) finished second and Atlantic Convoy (Dick Cardenas) came home in third place. She won in a time of 58.2 (23.1 x 45.3).
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“The final time for the race was good. It was a workmanlike performance. When you have a horse that wins Grade One and runs down in class at Open Allowance, you just want that horse to win, and thankfully she was able to do that today. We have bigger things in mind for her and so hopefully she can continue improving and stay sound and get the job done,” Parsard explained.
As for Bootylicious’s retirement plans, Parsard explained that she will be transitioned to a broodmare role due to her exceptional talent and value.
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“This is going to be her last year racing. She is such a talented horse, and we think that she has the potential to throw babies with her speed that can do well. And we have some owners that have a longer-term view of racing,” he said.
Parsard also acknowledged the harsh reality faced by local-bred horses like Bootylicious in Jamaica.
“The reality is that the foreign horses that are being brought down to Jamaica have squeezed out the local horses from realistically having a chance of looking in. Until some of those very progressive foreigners come, we will try to do the best we can. We understand the reality that racing is not geared towards local bred horses anymore and so we have to be smart about how we handle her,” Parsard said.
With her impressive win in the Reggae Month Trophy, Bootylicious has cemented her position as a top sprinter in Jamaican horse racing at the moment.
