Race day review – Saturday, June 12, 2021
HAVING lost his last two races by combined margins totalling less than one length, despite conceding weight all-round, Mansur Musur was justifiably installed the even money favourite and duly obliged with the release of his 14-race maiden certificate.
Ridden by Dane Dawkins for the in form jockey’s first of a double and owned and trained by Errol Pottinger, Mansur Musur in winning the 1100-metre opening event was five lengths better than his nearest rival.
It was a welcome return to winning form by the Anthony Nunes-trained filly Glock (Omar Walker) in the afternoon’s second event over 1000 metres round. Fears by her backers she may have a return of her periodic affliction of starting slowly were dispelled as she rushed out of the gate, raced prominently, and outsprinted her seven rivals in the home straight to score by just over a length at 3/1.
Nine-year-old Smokey Topaz (Youville Pinnock) prepared by Joseph Durrant and out for 68th time in a lameness-plagued career won the third event by over five lengths following two decent previous performances for an eighth career success.
Trained by Rowan Mathie, the imported in utero four-year-old maiden gelding Commissioner — out for the eleventh occasion — was always clear at odds of 1/5 in the 1000-metre straight fourth race for the first of two wins for joint champion jockey Dane Nelson.
Promising Simba The Lion (Robert Halledeen), schooled by Patrick Lynch following a near-miss performance when failing by only a neck to score on debut, never gave his 11 rivals hope and won the 1200-metre fifth event by over eight lengths as the odds of 3/5 favourite.
Speaking of promise, the Jason DaCosta-trained 3/5 favourite She’s My Destiny (Anthony Thomas), who impressed by over six lengths on debut, won the 1200-metre sixth event by just under two lengths to remain undefeated after two starts.
In one of their more lengthy deliberations at least two of the panel of three operation stewards, after reviewing the performance of first-past-the-post Big Paul (Oshane Nugent) trained by Anthony Nunes, were convinced that interference to a rival merited disqualification and relegated the seven-year-old-gelding to third in the seventh.
On the day the 1000-metre straight gallop was therefore awarded provisionally to the Ryan Williams-conditioned Chrisanli ridden by Tevin Foster — the first of a double for the competent reinsman (unsuccessful appeal considered if it happens). If confirmed, Chrisanli would have had four consecutive wins and five in its last six races.
Following the 1000-metre straight eighth race Nelson returned to the winners’ enclosure, this time for veteran trainer Johnny Wilmot aboard hard-knocking five-year-old gelding Saint Michael at odds of 2/1. Wilmot’s stable has performed well this season as this was win number 13 in the year which also include another 12 times in the frame with four second- and eight third-place earnings.
Dane Dawkins in closing his double confirmed in his post-race interview, following victory aboard the Gary Subratie-trained USA importee Awesome Treasure — a 21/1 chance in the 1600-metre ninth — that the tactics was for front-running enterprise. The tough little filly whose last victory was over the 1000-metre straight course saw out the distance convincingly from in front for Subratie to claim the first of two wins on the card.
Lava Boy, the 7/5 joint favourite, duly confirmed the Subratie double in the tenth and closing event as well as the second of the day for in form Tevin Foster’s sixteenth winning mount of the season. Although Nunes was denied a double, with Subratie winning two and DaCosta scoring once it was another good day for the second-generation trainers who have now tallied victories in 163 of the 351 races so far this year.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Gary Subratie for the dominant performance of Awesome Treasure with the filly delivering the Best Winning Gallop, and Dane Dawkins’ successful tactical approach is deserving of the Jockeyship Award. Incidentally, in his post-race interview Subratie confirmed that Dawkins was told “to ride his own race”.