Easy pickings for Campesino in St Catherine Cup feature
The St Catherine Cup, an Open Allowance event for three-year-olds and upward, with its fair amount of speed, will take centre stage on the nine-race programme at Caymanas Park today.
The penultimate call on the card, the St Catherine Cup, has attracted a small but lively field of seven going 1,100 metres for a purse of $845,000. The day’s highlighting feature will go to post at approximately 4:25 pm with the first post at 12:40 pm.
Trainers Philip Feanny, who finished in the mid-table of last year’s trainers championship, and Michael Beecham will saddle two runners each in the St Catherine Cup.
Feanny will saddle the sprint champion Campesino, who carries top weight of 57.0 kilogrammes and the up in class four-year-old filly Bubbling Kitten at 50.0 kilogrammes. Beecham will saddle the recent winner in the class below, Sir Budget at 52.5 kilogrammes and Tropicaldepression at 50.0 kilogrammes, who has moved up from the $250,000 claiming ranks.
Polly B (55.0 kilogrammes), a recent winner at this level on last, trained by Rowan Mathie, the down in grade American-bred Blue Dixie (51.5 kilogrammes), trained by Gary Subratie and Miracle Star (50.0kilogrammes), trained by Donovan Plummer, will complete the field.
Campesino ridden by Robert Halledeen, Polly B with Dane Nelson, Blue Dixie with Aaron Chatrie and Sir Budget with Orlando Foster are expected to be the leading runners to take the event.
Both Campesino and Blue Dixie last competed in the Diamond Mile, Jamaica’s premier horseracing event, on December 10 of last year. Campesino finished in fifth place, while Blue Dixie finished second-to-last in the 16-horse field.
The seven-year-old bay gelding Campesino ( Compadre – Yaella) should use his class, talent and experience to put away rivals and based on his excerise reports, he will not be easily denied.
Ones To Watch
Race 1 Raksha, Runallday, Classical Princess
Race 2 Miss Myrtle, Perfect Asset, Glyder
Race 3 Conclusion, Jon Marshall, Donofthetown
Race 4 Mister Bones, Blue Moon, Gold Miner
Race 5 Twilight Storm, Bruce Wayne, Storm Valley
Race 6 Awesome Cat, Seal The Deal, Serious Business
Race 7 Big Buck, My Favourite Dancer, Sterri’s Choice
Race 8 Campesino, Polly B, Blue Dixie
Race 9 Meru, Border Line, Runner Runner