The feature event, over 1,600 metres, run as race seven on the nine-race programme, was staged to honour the life’s work of Lloyd Lindberg “Lindy” Delapenha, who was one of the pioneers of footballers of colour playing in the top league in England.

Delapenha, also a national representative at golf, was engaged by the now-defunct
Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation as the supervising sportscaster and was an analyst and race caller at Caymanas Park.

Divine Force (4-5) led clearly and had his pursuers in trouble from 900 metres out with Tevin Foster sitting still. The progressive importee had a challenger in the form 7-2 shot
D Head Cornerstone (Dane Dawkins) at the distance, but the four-year-old American-bred colt, saddled by former 14-time titlist Philip Feanny, got home convincingly although only just over a length ahead at the line.

Former five-time champion Omar “Champo” Walker was in double riding form. Firstly, in control of the pace in the 1,000-metre round opening event aboard 2-1 bet
Galway Bay, a 35-race eight-year-old maiden horse, Walker resorted to his full skill set to maintain a near two-length advantage. Trainer Donovan Plummer opened his seasonal account with this, his 18th declaration of the six-week-old racing year. Then in the night cap, running for only the third occasion, four-year-old maiden filly
Babylove (4-1), declared by veteran conditioner Errol Subratie, outsprinted the 12-horse field by four lengths to confirm Walker’s double success.

Race two, run at 1,600 metres, only served to emphasise the bizarre and unviable presentation of the racing product in a counterproductive claiming and condition system for over three decades at cost of US$40 million to the Government.

Winner of two races in the United States, importee
Provocativa made her local debut in an Overnight Allowance contest two weeks ago.

On that occasion, toting 57 kilogrammes, the five-year-old mare challenged winner
A Gift From Ben 200 metres out and, obviously in need of the race, did not sustain the gallop and was eased to finish seven lengths adrift. Claiming tags is not the problem, it is the impossibility of the condition system to produce an accurate classification of the horse population to ensure the economic viability of the promoting company.

On Saturday, the Rohan Crighton-conditioned
Provocativa was bet at 1-9, and up against three rivals of infinitely inferior class. She toyed with them to open her local account by over three lengths for Raddesh Roman to ride the first of his two winning mounts on the card.

Roman was back in the winners’ enclosure at the end of the 1,000-metre sixth event, run on the straight course, with
Chitu Prince (USA) making all the running at odds of 6-1 for trainer Alfred Davidson’s first success of his career.

At odds of 9-5,
Classical Orb (USA) saddled by long-serving Ralph Porter and partnered by veteran Everton Miller, outstayed four rivals to score by just better than two lengths in the 1,600-metre third event.

In race four, former three-time champion trainer Anthony Nunes presented 3-1 bet
Volatility (Paul Francis) to win over the straight 1,000-metre course executing superior speed over four rivals all the way.

Obviously, the most significant event of the afternoon was race five, a Maiden Special Weight for the Mercury Trophy restricted to three-year-old colts and geldings. Schooled by champion Jason DaCosta,
Casual Trick-bred debutant
Teflon Don (1-9) cantered over the 1,000 metres of the straight course to confirm the likelihood he will be a serious Classic contender.

Although the final time of 1:01.2 was greeted with some scepticism, this analyst is inclined to part company with the doubters until other evidence emerges. For now, I am happy to be impressed with the nine and a half lengths victory margin.

It was 49-1 against trainer Lydia Anglin’s lightly race five-year-old mare
Anika Belle in 1,400-metre race eight. Fairly experienced, but infrequently engaged reinsman Odeen Edwards breaking her from the outside post in the field of 11 made ground steadily on the leaders. In the upper straight Edwards had a decision to make to secure a clear path. Although it was not visible immediately, he elected to choose the far rails and the mare sprinted through a narrow gap 100 metres out to score by over five lengths.

The
Training Feat Award is presented to Donovan Plummer for his patience in preparing aging
Galway Bay to release its maiden tag on the 36th appearance to deliver the
Best Winning Gallop with Walker’s invaluable assistance deserving of the
Jockeyship Award.