Lightning Image, Grande Marque cop Caymanas feature
Lightning Image and Grande Marque shared the divided $735,000 Percy Martin Memorial Cup feature for native-bred maiden three-year-olds to highlight the 11-race card at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Also sharing the spotlight were leading jockeys Shane Ellis and Dick Cardenas, who rode three winners each.
Cardenas, second on the jockeys standing with 30 wins, piloted the 8-1 chance Lightning Image to victory in Division One of the day’s feature by 2 1/2 lengths over the 5-1 bet Austin Luke, ridden by Ian Spence, to release the maiden tag in the field of 14.
Ellis, on the other hand, riding the 7-1 betting option Grande Marque upset Searching For Gold, the 1-4 favourite, by a short head in Division Two to also release the maiden tag in a field of 14.
Lightning Image, a bay filly owned by Arscott Farms and trained by Anthony Nunes, returned a time of 1:01.3 minutes behind fractions of 23.4 and 48.0 seconds for the 1,000 metres straight contest.
Grande Margue, a bay colt owned by W’re Family and trained by Eraldo Fullerton, had a final time of 1:02.0 minutes behind splits of 23.2 and 46.3 seconds.
In Division One, the 4-5 favourite Rhea On Tour came running on late to show under Clive Lynch, a length and a quarter back, while Simply Outstanding, ridden by Jodeien Anderson, completed the frame.
In the second division, Money Honey, ridden by Ameth Robles, showed at odds of 6-1 some 2 1/2 lengths back with A&S Express completing the frame at odds of 58-1 ridden by Jevvanne Irwin.
Lightning Image by Image Maker out of Lady Argyll (Outrigger) was bred at Ham Stables Ltd and earned $390,400 as the winner’s share for earnings of $650,650 lifetime.
Grande Marque by Burning Marque out of Grand Cafe (Fortune Prospect) and bred by Carl Anderson earned $390,400 as the winner’s share for his first pay day from three starts.
Meanwhile, Ellis’ other winners were Da Boom in the opening race for trainer Spencer Chung and Sledge in the fifth for trainer Clifford Atkinson Jnr to move his tally to 33 wins, three ahead of Cardenas, who had the leg up on Raise A Ruckus for Philip Feanny in the seventh and Wild Tradition for Nunes in the 10th and penultimate event.