KINGSTON, Jamaica – Against the background of a multi-million mandatory payout on the accumulated Reggae Six, there was the natural elevated interest in the outcome of the opening event of the scheduled ten. Eleven faced the starter, with Fly Messenger Fly (Reyan Lewis) from the 2022 champion stable of Jason DaCosta bet at odds of 6-5 favourite.
Only a half-dozen runners came under starter’s order in the 1300-metre second race and 2-5 favourite Zabratone, saddled by Dennis Pryce, won by a length and a half for leading reinsman Tevin Foster to be victorious in his 22nd race this season. More riding success on the card was also ahead for the ever-improving professional as well for the hard-working Dennis Pryce.
Owned and conditioned by veteran horseman David Lee Sin, five-year-old grey gelding No Surrender, who is difficult to train and was an expensive flop in three of his last four starts, was a winner of race three — run over 1200 — for Youville Pinnock to ride into the winners’ enclosure for the fifth time this season, with victory delivered by just over three lengths.
Race four, run over 700 metres straight, provided win number three this season for three-kilogramme claiming jockey Shane Richardson as he executed the honours aboard even-money favourite Schlesinger, owned and saddled by Winchester McIntosh.
Run at 1000 metres straight, the finish of race five interrupted the sequence of clear winners, with the official minimum winning margins a nose by a nose posted. In a desperate, three-cornered struggle for supremacy even-money favourite Danny Spud, ridden by three-kilogramme claiming jockey Romario Spencer for trainer Paul Charlton, needed the photo finish digital apparatus to confirm he had prevailed over close rivals Dodge This Link and XY Soul.
Bet as the 2-1 most popular choice, Oldkingcole (Raddesh Roman), posted by Nicholas Smith, won the 1000-metre straight gallop of race six by four and a half lengths.
Interestingly, in race seven contested over 1820 meres, three-year-old maiden Rhythm Buzz (2-1) outstayed his nearest rival Antarctia (5-1) by over two lengths, rendering this winner the first progeny of brilliantly speedy stallion Buzz Nightmare to be effective over a distance of ground.
Ridden by Bebeto Harvey, Loyal Action (4-5) was a convincing performer in race eight run over 1300 metres, winning by five lengths for trainer Gary Crawford. Nothing has been confirmed, or otherwise, but his connections may be planning Classics aspirations for the nicely conformed colt who had looked quite ordinary in his first three racecourse appearances.
To confirm his riding double Tevin Foster had to be, and was, at his best in guiding trainer Dennis Pryce’s Unruly Boss (17/1) to victory in race nine contested over 1200 metres by the Overnight Allowance category of horses, with champion and leading conditioner DaCosta saddling three including 3-5 favourite Eagle One (USA).
Drawn at position one in the nine-strong field, Foster tracked the two front-runners and anticipated astutely there would be a clear inside lane to challenge for the lead against the far rails coming out of the bend. Running well from the distance, Unruly Boss outsprinted Eagle One (USA) by two and a half lengths to secure the ninth. Meanwhile, champion Dane Dawkins was aboard 2-1 favourite Rainsville, trained by Richard Azan, for a near seven-length runaway from ten rivals in the 1400-metre nightcap.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Dennis Pryce for preparing Unruly Boss. So finely tuned was the five-year-old chestnut horse, a progeny of Bern Identity, that he executed the Best Winning Gallop and benefited in no small measure from the tactical awareness of Tevin Foster who earned, for yet another occasion, the Jockeyship Award.
