Intrestntimesahead becomes the top local two-year-old
A 10-length winner when releasing the maiden on December 17 going 6½ furlongs (1,300m) in sloppy conditions was more than enough indication that Intrestntimesahead was one of the better juveniles around.
So it came as no surprise that the Elizabeth DaCosta-bred and -owned, Jason DaCosta-trained, and Phillip Parchment-ridden Intrestntimesahead swept all before him to win the $4-million Jamaica Two-Year-old Stakes feature race at Caymanas Park on Tuesday, December 26, 2023.
Intrestntimesahead, a bay colt by Bold Conquest out of He’stherealthing mare My Friend Lucy, won the Futurity contest for native-bred two-year-olds at a mile (1,600m) by three electrifying lengths.
Intrestntimesahead covered the distance in a time of 1:39.2 (24.0 x 46.3 x 1:13.1) to register his second-consecutive win from three starts, confirming himself as the top local juvenile for 2023.
THE RACE
In the early exchanges Parchment kept Intrestntimesahead off the pace and watched as stablemate Banadura (Robert Halledeen) led the field down the backstretch ahead of Matuso (Raddesh Roman), Comehometome (Reyan Lewis), and Run Julie Run (Omar Walker).
Intrestntimesahead came into view as he navigated the half-mile (800m) turn, slipping down into fourth place yet gaining ground on the leaders with each stride.
Intrestntimesahead, who hugged the inside rails heading into the lane, found much more in the lane to win going away in the end. Fastnfuriouslinks came in third, followed by Run Julie Run.
TRAINER’S COMMENTS
“He is kind of a late bloomer and so he wasn’t ready for the earlier races. He got a run on Mouttet Mile Race Day against foreigners and ran a good third [place], and came back and won nine days ago very easily. And so he always looked very promising coming into this race and he would have a chance of winning — and that he did.”
JOCKEY’S COMMENTS
“I rode him the other day and, coming into that race, he wasn’t that well. Nobody ever really knew it but he had diarrhoea about two to three days before the race, and the trainer got him together and he won well. Coming into this race I knew that he would be a better horse, and I knew that he was going to win as well. I rode a very patient race and asked him to get them in the stretch, as it was the trainer’s instructions.
