Phineas for Henry Harrison Mem Cup feature
RECENT loser Phineas gets another chance to leave non-winners of two behind when he takes on a more manageable bunch of native-bred four-year-olds in the $480,600 Henry George Harrison Snr Memorial Cup at Caymanas Park today.
The Restricted Allowance V highlighter of a 10-race card has attracted a near full field of 14 going 1,300 metres. Post time is set at approximately 4:35 pm for the penultimate event on the card with first post at 12:15 pm.
Phineas, the lightly-raced gelded son of Distorted out of Winning Spirit (Judge TC) bred Dr Paul Wright and owned by MS Stables, went down by the shortest of heads in a driving finished on Derby day to the late running Royal Line, imperiously ridden by the American-based jockey Orlando Bocachica.
For his grand effort behind Royal Line going 1,300 metres, the same as today’s distance, Phineas has picked up 2.0kg, but having being retooled by trainer Norman Palmer for a more sustained effort, he looks poised to make amends. Jockey Jevvanne Erwin has been called to the saddle to replace Paul Francis.
The field may not be as strong as on last, but it will not lack competitiveness that should come from two game fillies in the grey Amanda Panda and the bay Awesome Flyer, who could close rapidly at the business end of the race to make it a bit more interesting than meets the eye.
Amanda Panda, trained by George Moo Young racing over 1,200 metres in her last race on May 23 made late headway to be third. Since then she has been working well and with the additional 100 metres within her capability, jockey Richard Mitchell, who has replaced Andre Martin in the saddle, could make it close for the favourite.
The promising Awesome Flyer is another who should be hungry for a victory at this point in her four-year-old career, having gone four starts for the season with only one near miss.
Since then Awesome Flyer by Dayton Flyer out of Awesome Wonder (Schism) bred by Ham Stables and owned by Vaughn Smith has been preparing for a distance such as this. Now that she’s got it, jockey Dane Nelson, who was aboard for the February loss, has been recalled to the saddle for what looks to be another serious effort now while riding the bends.
