JRC’s Hall of Fame Raceday launched
THE 15th Hall Of Fame Raceday featuring the Thoroughbred Racing Hall Of Fame Stakes Trophy (G11) will be run at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
A race for Open Allowance horses, the event will be run over 1,200 metres for a purse of $886,500 to which $100,000 will be added by the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) reflecting a slight increase on last year’s commitment.
Sponsored for the 15th year in succession by the JRC, in association with Caymanas Track Ltd (CTL), general manager of JRC Ruth-Ann Smith-Sutherland made the announcement while CTL’s racing secretary Denzil Miller Jnr gave racing details at the press launch at JRC Board Room, Winchester Road in Kingston yesterday.
The Thoroughbred Racing Hall Of Fame Stakes Trophy event is set to highlight an 11-race card supported by two secondary features, including a race to honour former trainer and chairman of the JRC, the late Ren Gonsalves and former handicapper the late Leslie McRae.
The race for the Ren Gonsalves is for Overnight Allowance horses to be run over 2,000 metres, and the Leslie McRae over 1,100 metres for three-year-old maidens.
The other eight races on the card will feature the names of the eight inductees into the 2009 Thoroughbred Hall Of Fame. They include Miracle Man — Horse Of The Year 2005 and 2006, Royal Minister — seven-time champion sire, Is In Time — champion broodmare, Wayne DaCosta — nine-time champion trainer, Hubert Bartley — three-time champion jockey (1983, 1986 and 1991), Rafael Smith — outstanding groom, Rita McKenzie — matriarch of the McKenzie racing family and Hugh Levy — president of the Jockey Club of Jamaica.
Some 15 horses were eligible for the race, which has had some outstanding winners down the years, including Blumenthal, who is a Hall Of Fame inductee, Internet Commander, Formally Gold, Musical Maestro, who also won the Caribbean Sprint Championship, and the fleet-footed filly of last season, Racing Machine.
Based on this year’s entry, Miller sees no less a competitive race looming and said: “This year let us see whether we can pull a champion out of what we have in the possible starters among whom are Shanghai Pass, trained by Gary Subratie, Fe Fi Foe, the fleet-footed filly Brass & Sassy, conditioned by Peter John Scully, Richard Azan’s Prince Of Peace, Hail The Genius, New Kingston, Forever Mine, The Bomber, the very exciting Ron Ron and possibly The Guv.
Meanwhile, Junior Minister, who was one of the leading contenders for this year’s Jamaica Derby, collapsed and died on the track yesterday morning following an exercise gallop. Trained and part owned by Anthony Nunes and Trevor Dunkley Jnr, the bay son of Code Warning out of Peace Line (The Peacemaker) bred by Tyrone Hylton & Kevin Hylton, was the winner of two races, both over 1,500 metres, and earned $1,566,600 that included two second-placed finishes and four fourths from 10 career starts.
