KINGSTON, Jamaica - An observation must be made that following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, spectator support has not returned to Caymanas Park and the traditional Boxing Day bumper crowd was missing.
Surely the increase in off-track betting facilities and online wagering cannot be the only explanation and there is no doubt the local version of the “Sport of Kings” is not attracting sufficient support from the potential cohort of the new generation.
Featured on the nine-race Boxing Day card and run as the eighth was another edition of the traditional 1,600-metre Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes. This is the premier event for colts, geldings and fillies in their first season. It is sponsored by Supreme Ventures Limited and deemed the third leg of the juvenile “Triple Crown”.
The first and second leg in the series is the 1,200-metre Pick 3 “Only One For Me” Trophy and the 1400-metre Pick 3 “Super Challenge” Trophy, respectively.
Mamma Mia (Robert Halledeen), trained by Jason DaCosta, won the “Only One For Me” with the impressively conformed Richard Azan-schooled colt Mojito (Dane Dawkins) a good second after being slow to respond to the opening of the starting gates. Anthony Nunes’ filly Legit Boss (Tevin Foster) had a strong run in the final 200 metres to give her the “Super Challenge” at the expense of front-running Mamma Mia. These three clearly established themselves as the most forward and classiest of the foals of 2021 so far.
The fleet-footed Mamma Mia (3-1) led pursued by stable mate Thalita with Mojito (3-2) tracking ominously and moving to assume control 600 metres from the finish. Turning for home in front Mojito looked in a different class and the three-length win margin could have been extended to twice that. Mamma Mia kept on very well but was joined in the final stride by Legit Boss for them to share the second- and third-place prize money equally for a dead heat. Interestingly, Anonymous (Shane Ellis), a colt from the Nunes outfit, with scope for significant improvement, was fourth less than two lengths behind the fillies.
The opening event over ,1400 metres was won by Wowza (USA) saddled by Winchester McIntosh and ridden by Robert “Hard Ball” Halledeen to justify 7-5 favouritism.
In the day’s second, veteran reinsman Devon A Thomas rode 6-5 favourite to a five-length success for trainer Ian Alexander.
Prior to winning the feature on Mojito, race three was significant for leading jockey Dane Dawkins. In his quest for his first riding title his mount Sensational Satin (1-5) won comfortably being nearly three lengths clear at the finish of the round 1,000-metre course for trainer Vincent Atkinson. This riding double to reach 100 establishes a lead of four over chief protagonist,champion Anthony Thomas, who was winless on the day. A different outcome other than the title changing hands this Saturday is therefore highly unlikely.
For the first of two winning mounts on the day Reyan “Action Pack” Lewis had the benefit of a 15-length runaway over 1,600 metres by the Michael Marlowe trained ZD Eye (8-5).
After a wait of half an hour, Lewis had his double confirmed in the 1,100-metre fifth event aboard Airstream (7-5), saddled by Gresford Smith for a victory of just over five lengths.
In race six, run at 1,400 metres, popular veteran reinsman Oneil Mullings was at his absolute best aboard Ryan Darby’s Fyffes Pen Liz (6-1) in prevailing by nose in the final stride to better G T Boy (4-5) ridden by outgoing champion Thomas.
Following Devon A Thomas and Mullings, the third success for long-serving jockeys, was achieved in the 1,100-metre seventh event. Paul “Country” Francis found the lead on Jason DaCosta’s Versatile Vision (9-5) 600 metres out then went clear to win by three and a half lengths.
The last hour of the holiday card was dominated by the Richard Azan stable. As if saddling Mojito to win the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes was not enough the performance of Perfect Brew (6-1) was a revelation. Held up for what proved a devastating stretch run, the colt sprinted clear inside the last 200 metres to defeat the nearest of his 13 rivals by seven and a half lengths.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Gresford Smith for the performance Airstream, whose only other appearance was earlier this year on March 19 with preparation a test of the conditioner’s patience. The Best Winning Gallop was displayed by Fyffes Pen Liz as the performance required speed, courage and stamina which Oniel Mullings induced to earn himself the Jockeyship Award.
