Jack Daniel wins the ninth race with Christopher Mamdeen aboard. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
Race day preview for Saturday, February 22, 2025
THE Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment Ltd Chairman’s Trophy was the featured event on the 10-race programme.
The category champions of 2024 were the honorees and were recognised throughout the day, as an added feature. Two-time Horse of The Year for 2022-23 Atomica made a courageous dash for home to lead from over three furlongs out, but her effort was thwarted by the strong, sustained run of Barnaby (USA) inside the last furlong to score by three and a half lengths.
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Ridden by Tevin Foster for trainer Anthony Nunes, the impressive bay progeny of Tapiture (USA) will be doing a lot more winning this season.
Bet at 9-2, She’s Adorable, trained by owner Carlton Cunningham and partnered by 2011 champion Dick Cardenas, made all and never looked likely to be caught, much less overtaken, by 1-9 bet The General over the seven and a half furlongs of the opening event.
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In the four-furlong dash for race two, leading reinsman Robert Halledeen was aboard Big Bop (3-5) for champion conditioner Jason DaCosta for a near-three-length winning margin.
In race three, run at six and a half furlongs, Javaniel Patterson rode the first of two winners on the day as Patrick Taylor’s Awesome Anthony (5-1) won by a length and a half.
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Patterson’s return to the winners’ enclosure came following race five, with Storm Valley (2-1), saddled by Edward Walker, winning by just over one length over the five-and-half-furlong course.
Interestingly, in this fifth event for $200,000 claimers the total age of the 11 starters adds up to 106 years. Going forward, as long as the continued division of the horse population into 21 categories remains unchanged, there will be no improvement in field sizes. I can name as many as 330 horses which raced in 2024 but have been absent since last August, as the population available or racing declines threaten the remaining 80 race days with depleted field sizes in 2025.
In race four, 2022 champion jockey Dane Dawkins secured his ninth winner of the year in guiding
MPRS Links (6-5), declared by Barrington Bernard, to an almost four-length triumph over the seven-and-half-furlong trip.
An hour later in race six, restricted to three-year-old maiden fillies, Ismael Velasquez rode Hansa (9-5) to a near three-length success for trainer Richard Azan.
In race seven, unsuccessful 2024 Classic aspirant Allegiance (4-5) was just over six lengths — the best over the one-mile trip — with 2023 champion Reyan Lewis at the reins for trainer Anthony Nunes.
For race nine, 2019 champion rider Christopher Mamdeen drove Gary Crawford’s 19-1 bet Jack Daniel to a victory margin of three lengths over the five furlongs straight course.
The tenth and closing event, run over the maximum straight course trip, 12-1 backed Funometer (Shavon Towsend), entered by Oraldo Chin, sprinted to victory by over two and a half lengths. The six-year-old, lightly-raced dark bay horse was racing for only the 28th time and has now secured five wins — all of which came on the straight course.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Gary Crawford for presenting Jack Daniel, a difficult horse to train and ride who, at five years old, was racing for only the 10th occasion and delivering The Best Winning Gallop, with Christopher Mamdeen being recognised with the Jockeyship Award.
In terms of where things stand in the racing industry today, there are a number of issues from which any unfavourable outcome will have a serious impact on its future prospects.
United Racehorse Trainers’ Association Of Jamaica has been dormant indefinitely but has now announced an annual general meeting — well after the constitutional edict.
Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association has a serious challenge, with only limited responses to the annual request for renewal of membership. Jamaica Racing Commission is concerned with the non-compliance of promoting company Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment Limited regarding certain important aspects of the divestment agreement. More about these and other existential issues will be presented in due course. Watch this space.
