The preparations which began three years ago on the farms with great anticipation will begin the process of high expectations today at Caymanas Park with the running of the season’s first Classic races on a highly-charged 12-race Easter Holiday programme.

The stage is, therefore, set for the beginning of another provocative Jamaica Three-Year-Old Classic racing season with the 36th running of the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas races over 1,600 metres where a purse of $3.6 million will be offered for both races.

A package of 12 competitive races that will also feature the $715,000 Easter Sprint Cup for Overnight Allowance three-year-olds and upward over 1,100 metres been carded to fully entertain the expected large holiday crowd. First post is noon.

Sponsored by the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission for the second year in succession, 24 of the finest local-bred three-year-olds in training will face the starter in the opening Classic races with 13 running in the fillies’ 1,000 Guineas and 11 in the colts and geldings’.

With no really outstanding youngsters in the collection of runners, bar one a colt Lifeisjusforliving , the fillies event promises to be the more competitive of the sexes as there are at least four or five runners from which the winner is more than likely to emerge.

Chief among this inner circle is the late running Gabiwitzo from the barn of Alsafra, the 2008 outstanding winner and Horse Of The Year.

Owned by Sherman H Clachar, one of the owners of Alsafra, Gabiwitzo has shown a great deal of promise from her opening race where she lost by one length after pointing just before she was overhauled by Awesome Annette. Since then, she has been a model of consistency but just could not get her head in front when it mattered most, but was never worst than second in her first five starts which never went beyond 1,300 metres, and when she did, it made all the difference.

On February 20 when the distance was increased to 1,400 metres and Lasix administered for the first time, she proved unbeatable. To show that her first win was for real, the bay filly by Pat N Jac out of Royal Grind dam of 2008 outstanding three-year-old colt Royal Image, she returned three weeks later to formally announce her candidacy for the up-and-coming age group Classic season with a commanding win over the distance again. Only this time, winning by four lengths and lowering her winning time by just under a second with 1:26.4 effort.

Since then she has been kept in good shape and will report in fine fettle today when she takes on the very best in her age group. With no Brian Harding as it was two years ago with Alsafra, the connections have drawn for the services of overseas-based Andrew Ramgeet to partner Gabiwitzo.

Her main rivals will come from, the classy Farashfal Farm filly Alfouzia trained by Rowan Mathie, Herroyalhighnest bred and owned by Donald Williams and conditioned by Noel Ennevor, Excellence owned by Derrick Smith and trained by Wayne DaCosta, Soca Party and Moment Of Hope also trained by DaCosta along with Miss Lee.

Trained by Philip Feanny, Miss Lee at this point of her racing career is an unknown quantity having just one outing over the 1,000 metres straight course which she won with some ease after stumbling at the off.

Al Fouzia, a bay filly by Legal Process out of Lady Bakul, was the front runner for the 1,000 Guineas before Grabiwitzo turned in two sterling performances the last in the Thornbird Stakes. In that event, Al Fouzia threw in a clicker finishing a disappointing 5 1/2 lengths fifth, saddled with top weight of 57.0kg. Since then, she has worked well and with the weights now even all round at 57.0kg, will be a lot more competitive with trainer Mathie retaining jockey Dane Nelson to ride.

Despite the good credentials of Gabiwitzo and Al Fouzia and no really outstanding talent present, another who could come for serious reckoning is the Francis Barnett & Edison Chai’s bred and owned Moment Of Hope. One who started her racing career as a three-year-old and lightly raced during her preparations, the daughter of Region Of Merit out of Ray Of Hope has shown vast improvement in her last race, and while the time of 1:28.0 for 1,400 metres was not impressive as some others, she won with much in hand.

Highly thought of by connections, she has gone well at exercise and is expected to play a major part in the outcome. With his three charges in the event, trainer DaCosta looks at their chances. Excellence, Moment Of Hope and Soca Party… all three still have something to prove whether they are really top quality horses. Moment Of Hope coming on probably a more rapid rate than Soca Party or Excellence right now, but all three have good chances. It is just left to be seen whether anyone can step up to the plate,” he said.

Looking at his opponents, DaCosta said: “Gabiwitzo obviously seems to stay quite a bit and that augurs well for her here. There is also Al Fouzia who had a terrible break in the Trial Stakes race from the one draw and was last down the backstretch and made up good ground so she is also a class horse in the race.”

Ones To Watch

Race 1 Double The Honey (Omar Walker)

Race 2 Quiet Knight (Andre Martin)

Race 3 Esquire (Doushane Gordon)

Race 4 Merit’s Brite lLite (Trevor Simpson )

Race 5 Aliz (Dick Cardenas)

Race 6 Unsung Hero (Andre Martin)

Race 7 Ghost Rapper (Allen Maragh)

Race 8 Machismo (Aaron Chatrie)

Race 9 Moment Of Hope (Omar Walker)

Race 10 Emergence (Wilmot Gajardah)

Race 11 Lifeisjustforliving (Omar Walker)

Moment Of Hope (left) Lifeisjustforliving with Omar Walker on board.