Nipster steals limelight in Ian Levy Cup feature
With jockeys Dane Nelson and Anthony Thomas currently tied on 84 winners each at the top of the standing in a tight battle for the 2020 championship missing from action at Caymanas Park yesterday, the Gary Subratie-conditioned Nipster stole the limelight by scoring an impressive win in the inaugural running of the $4.5-million Ian Levy Cup feature on the 10-race programme.
Thomas, who had secured seven rides, fell ill, while Nelson, who had eight rides on the card, had sustained an injury. Thomas is down to ride on today’s 11-race programme, but it’s not certain if Nelson will take to the saddle.
Nelson is down for nine rides today, including on favourite Further and Beyond in the Supreme Ventures Limited Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes over one mile (1,600m).
If both Thomas and Nelson are tied it will not be the first occasion in the 61-year of Caymanas Park that the jockeys’ race would end up in a dead-heat or tie. In 1970, Richard DePass and Jose Bravo tied on 53 wins each.
Meanwhile, Nipster, bred and owned by Michael Bernard and ridden by Robert Halledeen, won the Open Allowance/Graded Stakes event by seven lengths in a time of 1:43.3 for the eight-and-a-half furlong (1,700m) event.
Nipster wasn’t the best to leave the starting gates and raced among the backmarkers for most of the way. The bay colt maintained a steady gallop down the backstretch and began to round horses approaching the last four furlongs (800m).
He joined long-time leader Mahogany at the top of the straight before sprinting clear for an emphatic win in the end. Stable companion Sentient (Ameth Robles) was second and Toona Ciliata (Omar Walker) third. It was Nipster’s sixth win for the season which put him in front for the 2020 Horse of the Year award.
Trainers Philip Feanny and Ryan Darby and jockey Javaniel Patterson scored two winners apiece.
Feanny won with Magenta (Kerry-Gayl Robinson) and Salvation (Nicholas Hibbert), while Darby winners were Cold Pursuit (Reyan Lewis) and Reassurance (Javaniel Patterson). Patterson had earlier won with Night Light for his double.
Racing continues today.
— Ruddy Allen
