THE ANALYSIS – THE AWARDS for Sunday, October 6, 2019
The first hour of day two of the Super Weekend of racing was owned by breeder/owner/trainer Carl Anderson when Mrs. Awesome (Kiaman McGregor) was never headed in the opening event and Jamaican Storm (Shane Ellis) had the luxury of only having to come off the bridle 200 metres out to land the second on the 11-race programme.
Gary Subratie’s K D Rocket (Aaron Chatrie), slowly into stride on debut, did absolutely nothing wrong on this occasion and from a clean break was always dominant to skate in by nearly six lengths in the third event.
Winner of four races now and yet to be unplaced in his seven races prior, Atlantic Blue (Roger Hewitt) beat a strong field by two lengths to land the fifth for trainer Fitznahum Williams’ winning party to grace the winner’s enclosure. Favourite Lovers Strike (Raddesh Roman) left the final challenge for race seven inside the last 100 metres but got it right with a head to spare over nearest rival for trainer Williams to get a deserved second invitation to celebrate victory.
In the sixth of the afternoon, Storm Princess was well ridden by top-flight apprentice Reyan Lewis, bidding for his first winner on the day. Holding a pressured lead and rating her speed superbly, Lewis coaxed the Fernando Geddes-owned and trained five-year-old mare to the winning post one stride ahead of the runner-up.
Harry’s Train, unraced since April, presented in competitive condition by trainer Ian Parsard for the ninth race, chased the leader until striking the front 300 metres out for Walker to eventually ride three winners on the cord.
My Little Princess (Phillip Parchment) was the first of three racing certainties for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta when she outclassed rivals in the fourth. Stranger Danger is the top handicap rated horse according to this newspaper’s Supreme Racing Guide. The USA-bred three-year-old gelding posted the spectacular time of 1:36.3 in cantering over rivals in the eighth event, the Invitational Mile, registering a seven-length winning margin toting 57 kilos, including Omar Walker.
She’s Maneater‘s third-consecutive Superstakes triumph, one would like to think, has to be DaCosta’s most satisfying of the day. The fact of the matter is that this winner of now 23 of 29 career races including the 2017 Triple Crown is a more formidable specimen physically with increased ability. In pursuit of Toona Ciliata, St Leger short-head runner-up, She’s A Maneater delivered a successful challenge for the lead 800 metres out and outstayed him by nearly four lengths in the 10th and feature 40th renewal of the event.
Once again the Training Feat Award is presented to Wayne DaCosta for the obvious improvement in this champion mare and the Best Winning Gallop Award to the great She’s A Maneater for another fluent machine-like effort. Apprentice Reyan Lewis earns the Jockeyship Award for textbook handling of Storm Princess to land the sixth by a short-head.