Crucial Appeal headlines Audley Shaw feature
Ten races, studded with as many trophies, including the Honourable Audley Shaw Trophy as the main feature, will highlight the programme at Caymanas Park today.
The card will also feature the Danville Walker Trophy and the perennial Roderick “Pilot” Francis Memorial Trophy — a $180,000 claiming call for four-year-olds and upward going 1,200 metres.
Not to be left out of the reckoning, a decent crop of native-bred three-year-olds will again be on display in another three races that should add immensely to the entertainment quality of the programme.
The main focus should be on the Audley Shaw Trophy call where Open Allowance horses will compete at the penultimate stage of the programme for the major slice of the $845,000 purse going 1,000 metres straight at approximately 4:30 pm. The first post is at 12:15 pm.
The Audley Shaw Trophy is a knotty-looking affair with almost all eight runners in with a decent chance. Leading the pack though are
Sir Budget, Gary Glitter, Dreamliner and Soy El Senor all with current decent racing form. However, the major obstacle for all four will be the ageing but still very capable Crucial Appeal.
Crucial Appeal‘s last run gave indications that he is on his way back to top form and could take a hand in the finish against some really hot steppers in the line-up. Trainer Dwight Chen has invited Dane Nelson to the saddle.
Dreamliner, who has been knocking loudly at the door for some time now, went down to King D over the trip by 1½ lengths after leading for some 800 metres. A four-year-old bay colt by Porto Santo by Golden Olympio, Dreamliner (Jerome Innis) takes a step-up in grade for this race, and may suffer a similar fate should he continue to shorten at the business end of his races.
Sir Budget, with all his industry and recent good form, scored his last win over the course in the grade below.
Among the form horses, Gary Glitter will be seeking a hat-trick of wins, but was beaten by Sir Budget when he last ventured over the course in December. Since then Gary Glitter has moved up 4.0kg to be at the top of the scale, whileSir Budget has gone down by a similar margin at 4.5kg.
Soy El Senor carried his three-year-old winning form from December last year and completed a hat-trick with his two runs for his four-year-old season. He is now on the hunt for the four-timer, but the Anthony Nunes-trained four-year-old colt may just have to wait.
With the form horses accounted for, a passing glance could be taken towards Crucial Appeal and Polly B, owned and trained by Rowan Mathie. Polly B is a lively galloper over the course, and following his 54-1 upset win at this level over the round course in November of last year, it could see the five-year-old bay horse continuing to hold his form well enough to be competitive going over his favourite trip.
Ones To Watch
Race 1 Rambunctious Links, Silver Rocket, Subbie
Race 2 Queenofsaintrose, Wicked Tuff, Mr Grand National
Race 3 Storming, Dr Banner, Raging Prospect
Race 4 Meet Justin, Legendary Pleasure, Tropical Depression
Race 5 He’sthereal Links, Double Deal, Reign Over All
Race 6 Ninelifecat, Sure Step, Captain Cudjoe
Race 7 Malachi, Dontae, Blue Tradition
Race 8 Laws Of The Code, Classic Princess, Rogamma
Race 9 Crucial Appeal, Dreamliner, Polly B
Race 10 Kimberly Gold, Pizarro, Nothingbutthebest