Priceless Beauty prevails over She’s Smokin
AN electrifying response by Priceless Beauty and a vigourous ride from jockey Omar Walker carried the game filly to victory in the $715,000 Overnight Allowance by one length over a determined She’s Smokin at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
The event which anchored the competitive 10-race card had promised an exciting finish and ended that way as favoured Priceless Beauty had to get up in time to take the event in a driving finish.
In the process, the 4-5 favourite ran 1,400 metres in a time of 1:26.2 in the Overnight Allowance field of 14, three-year-olds upward to register her third consecutive victory at this level from her first five starts in Jamaica, which began four month ago in August.
In winning her third straight race, she showed that she was no ordinary filly by the manner in which she absorbed and dismissed contentious challenges in upper stretch before finding racing room between horses and then exploding close home to repel her rivals after all looked lost inside the final 50 metres.
Trainer Morris Powell, who is not one to show much emotion, one way or the other, was visibly happy with the final result.
“It was a good race”, he admitted afterwards. “It was an excellent ride from the jockey who got a score of 110 for effort. From half a furlong out I thought she had lost after a bit of interference, but the jockey picked her up well for a final thrust and her response was a splendid one which leaves me happy.”
She’s Smoking, a 5-1 chance who might have caused a slight interference in the rush for the wire, ridden by Dick Cardenas, finished second with the 4-1 bet, Reggae Rock, who brought the field into the lane on the rails, holding on for third with the 77-1 outsider Classic Beau completing the frame under Larris Allen.
Owned by Houston Stables, Priceless Beauty, a four-year-old bay/brown filly by Kafwain out of Pretoria (Great Gladiator), was bred by Spring farm in Canada.
She earned $390,400 as the winner’s share for earnings $2,732,750 lifetime
