The nation’s festival of racing of the leading native-bred three-year-old performers opens with the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas races at Caymanas Park today.

On this special race day to reward the nation’s finest native-bred three-year-old starlets to race on local soil, top-class action is packed into 12 races carded to add to the fun and entertainment that is expected to continue throughout the meet, ranging from the minimum trip of 1,000 metres through the gamut of the racing spectrum up to 2,000 metres.

The day will open with a feisty claiming event among $350,000 down to $300,000 native-bred five-year-olds and upward (NW3) going 1,300 metres at 11:30 am for a purse of $690,000. The local racing programme then closes with the 43rd running of the Jamaica 2,000 Guineas Grade One feature.

The Jamaica 2,000 Guineas, a native-bred three-year-old Futurity Stakes call for colts and geldings going 1,600 metres for a purse of $3,500,000, shares top billing with the 1,000 Guineas fillies counterpart that will also go 1,600 metres for identical purse of $3,500.000.

The 2,000 Guineas has attracted a full field of 16, while a field of 14 will face the starter in the fillies’ section.

While the fillies Guineas has a few noteworthy runners headed by the Wayne DaCosta-conditioned

She’s A Maneater, the colts and geldings Guineas is still iffy with the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes winnerSotomayor probably starting as favourite.Sotomayor’s preparation for his three-year-old Classic season thrust was well disguised, if anything, as throughout preparation for his opening three-year-old Classic season, trainer Anthony Nunes chose to use a higher level of Overnight Allowance racing to bring him on — a ploy from which one can deduce that he is a cut above the current crop of three-year-olds and need the stronger opposition to bring out the best in him.

Owned by David G Miller and Stephan Narinesingh,

Sotomayor, a grey colt byTraditional out of theLeft Banker mareRunaway Julie, was bred at Ham Stables Ltd. A well-bred colt, his two runs at the higher level in the Ash Wednesday Trophy and another overnight Allowance call going 1,600 metres should not be taken too seriously, as those runs may just be what the doctor ordered to set him aside from his peers.

He won the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, albeit narrowly, in 1:39.4 minutes, and with any marginal improvement should be bang in contention for another trip victory. Therefore, to harbour any speculation as to his readiness to exhale as a three-year-old could be put to rest after the leading feature race takes to the track to bring the curtains down on the stellar event at approximately 5:35 pm.

Western Warrior, owned by Golden Stables and trained by Fitznahum Williams, is another well-bred runner in the field who has given indications that he has as good a chance of winning this as any other. A nicely bred bay colt byTraditional/Littlerichgirl, he has been working industriously in his preparation and should be putting his best work in the closing stages under lightweight jockey Wesley Henry.

Another who could capture one’s imagination is the Wayne DaCosta-trained

Fearless Samurai. Quite a versatile galloper byFearless Vision out of the Alisios mareSayuri, the chestnut gelding could be doing his best work in the latter stages of the run, but could also go to the front and stay there until the wire intervenes. Omar Walker has the leg up.

The stable has three other runners in the line-up that include

Radical, the mount of Dane Nelson; Rambunctious Links, another who will stay the trip with Jerome Innis up; and the speedyLoose Cannon, who is also bred to go the distance. Jevvanne Erwin will ride the last.

The performance of

Market Force from the stables of Richard Azan on last seems to be no flash in the pan, and with the stable rider Bebeto Harvey solidly entrenched to 2,000 Guineas, could live up to its expectation of being the more competitive of the Guineas races.

Last but not least of the expectant few is

Don Chassis, a venerable but downplayed down talent trained by Philip Feanny, who could be among the surprises of the maximum field of runners with Shane Ellis in the tack.

The fillies 1,000 Guineas could prove just as competitive as the colts’ and geldings’ call. But one of the other fillies, besides

She’s A Maneater, Money Magnet andMarlene My Love, has to produce something special to provide an upset to the aforementioned prospects who have all worked satisfactorily to be here or they would not have been present.

The Anthony Nunes-conditioned

Bilingual could be that fly in the ointment, having been a model of consistency in her preparation and appearing to be the best stayer among them. Robert Halledeen will climb aboard the Fearless Vision/Electrifying filly in place of Linton Steadman, who himself climb aboard one of Nunes’ entries,Blue Tradition.