Competence in delivering veterinary services is an indispensable asset and Jamaica’s livestock, in general and particularly the thoroughbred horse population, continue to benefit from the unmatched expertise the hard-working cohort of professionals charged with this responsibility has provided.

The World Veterinary Day Trophy was staged as the tenth and feature event on the 11-race programme and Doctors John Masterton and Grace McDonnough-Lyon were this year’s honourees.

Based on his performance under joint top weight (57 kilogrammes) with the island’s top-rated sprinter Mahogany and being only three parts of a length behind this champion in a recent fast-run sprint, I Am Fred (USA), conditioned by Jason DaCosta and ridden Phillip Parchment duly cantered over his opponents in the 1,600-metre feature. The rangy bay gelding galloped to an impressive time of 1:38.3 although running the first 1,200 metres hard-held in front.

Confidently backed at 3-5 favourite, the improving four-year-old American arrived at the winning post nine lengths clear of his old rival Curlin’s Affair. This performance by I Am Fred gave a clear warning that he is likely to be the highest rated in training before the season is much older.

DaCosta, heading the trainers’ standings currently, had an earlier visit to the winners’ enclosure when Den Street, piloted by leader Anthony Thomas for his first of his double, won the day’s second, run over 1,200 metres, at odds of 2-5 favourite.

An hour and half later in the fourth, Thomas confirmed his double success when he made a return to winners’ enclosure aboard Fitzroy Glispie’s Bin Laden (evens), who came up a four-length winner on resumption on his career after a nine-month hiatus and scoring easily over the 1,400-metre gallop.

In the opening event, contested over 1100 metres, maiden filly Victoriasmedallion did owner/trainer Leroy Tomlinson a good turn by scoring at odds of 7/1. Jockey Tevin Foster was aboard the first of three wins on the day.

Speaking of owner/trainer, Patrick Lynch maiden colt Legal Bomb, racing for the fourth occasion, made all the running to score at 9/2 in the 1,000-metre straight fourth event.

The series of success by owner/trainers was extended when former jockey Phillip Elliott welcomed back his hard-knocking filly Tina’s Account (Youville Pinnock) as at odds of 3-1 after she outsprinted rivals in the 1,000-metre straight fifth race gallop.

Over a similar distance, former champion sprinter Poker Star, now a 10-year-old, brought back memories of his exploits of seven seasons ago with a 4½-length outpacing of his rivals in race six for trainer FitzGerald Richards’ sixth success form 23 starts this season thus enabling Foster, replacing the absent Robert Halledeen, to secure a second winning mount.

Foster’s third was saddled by Anthony Nunes in the eighth run over 1,600 metres with consistent Bern Notice besting a hugely competitive line-up at odds of 5-1.

At the end of race seven, there was even a further extension of the owner/trainer phenomenon with US-bred True Bravado (Dick Cardenas) sprinting in front from the gates as the 2-5 favourite to ensure the turn of Donovan Russell in completing a third victory from 28 starts this year.

Not especially active this season, Vincent Atkinson, in the 1,200-metre ninth posted the 5-2 winner in Danny Spud (Javaniel Patterson) for the second seasonal success from only 10 starters out of the stable to date.

Kept to sprinting and therefore running over distances short of 1,600 metres in her now 30-race career, five-year-old mare, Denbigh Life (Nicholas Hibbert) was in front early and surprised at odds of 17/1. She had her field in trouble from 800 metres out and although drifting right significantly in the home stretch ran particularly well inside the last 200 metres to hold the lead safely for conditioner Donovan Plummer.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Plummer for Denbigh Life’s Best Winning Gallop over the unfamiliar distance and the Jockeyship Award goes to Hibbert for his tactically enterprising approach in delivering on a difficult assignment with an extraordinary display of a judgement of pace in rationing the mare’s stamina to see out the journey.