KINGSTON, Jamaica - Two-year-old chestnut colt Further And Beyond sealed his place as the top juvenile currently in training after winning the one-mile Supreme Ventures Limited sponsored Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes at Caymanas Park on Sunday, December 27.
THE RACE
The pre-race favourite to win for the third time from five starts, Further And Beyond trained by champion Anthony Nunes caused a stir among racegoers when it was announced that regular rider Dane Nelson was down on the day and the colt would have the services of long-time, but little used, rider Ian “Dolly Baby” Spence instead.
Those fears took only 1:39.1 seconds to be dispelled, as Spence rode a tactically superb race in guiding Further And Beyond to a decisive victory.
Spence had Further And Beyond in third place from the time the starter pressed his button, watching closely as She’s A Wonder and Hoist The Mast set splits of 23.2 x 45.3 x 1:10.4.
Moving steadily and with purpose, Spence placed Further And Beyond perfectly at the top of the lane and pounced quickly, winning by three lengths as the 6-5 favourite in the 11-horse field to pocket for the connections the major share of the $4,000,000 total purse on offer.
Finishing second was She’s A Wonder, the crop’s leading filly, an 8/1 chance ridden by Reyan Lewis for trainer Ian Parsard.
Den Street the second-favourite at 7/5 ridden by Phillip Parchment was third.
TRAINER’S COMMENTS
“He [Further And Beyond] is easy to train and is a full brother to older Classic winning sister Above and Beyond. I knew that he would get the mile if he got a safe trip and Ian Spence rode him beautifully and proved why we chose him, and that was for his experience and calmness.
“I cannot tell you how much further he would get beyond the mile but, he certainly will get a mile and beyond among this group of two-year-old runners.
“Looking further ahead, all that we can hope for is that he remains healthy and sound. Our three-year-old Classic season in 2021 has been pushed forward with the Oaks and the Guineas races expected to be run in June and in July respectively. This I believe should give them [the present crop of two-year-olds] a great chance to take a deep breath to grow and mature before tackling the Classics.”
THE POSITIVES
The Rumble breeding line continues to produce winners as Further And Beyond’s elder sister Above and Beyond is a dual Classic winner.
An encouraging run by the well-bred filly She’s A Wonder who has made a positive statement for her three-year-old campaign.
THE NEGATIVES
Apart from the top four, this cohort of juveniles looks weak thus far; so unless better horses emerge as 2021 progresses, we might be limited to the same set vying for top honours in the big races.
