Subratie takes the spotlight with 800th win
Despite the impressive win by the Ian Parsard-conditioned Run Julie Run in the $3-million The Portmore main feature race, second-generation trainer Gary Subratie stole the limelight on Saturday’s 10-race card by saddling his 800th career winner.
Subratie achieved the milestone with four-year-old chestnut colt Cookie Day N Night, ridden by Raddesh Roman, in race three on the day. Subratie joins an elite cluster of Caymanas Park trainers to saddle 800 winners or more.
The contest was a Restricted Allowance IV race for native-bred four-year-olds and upward (non-winners of three) and imported four-year-olds and upward (non-winners of two) over seven furlongs (1,400m).
Cookie Day N Night came from behind runners to win the race by a short head at the wire ahead of She’s Myheadgefund (Josue Osorio), with Super Alex (Tevin Foster) 7 ½ lengths adrift in third place. The final time for the race was 1:27.4 (24.0 x 47.2 x 1:13.1).
“To get this milestone, I am elated. I don’t know what to say. I am lost for words,” Subratie told the Jamaica Observer.
Meanwhile, Run Julie Run made one shake to win the Graded Stakes contest for native-bred three-year-old fillies over seven-and-a-half furlongs (1,500m) ahead of Fastnfuriouslinks (Paul Francis) and Blu Sensation (Oneil Mullings) at the wire.
Run Julie Run held a comfortable lead ahead of rivals down the stretch before upping the tempo going into the half-mile (800m) turn. With no real challengers coming forward in deep stretch, Run Julie Run turned on the afterburner and stopped the clock in a time of 1:33.2.
Run Julie Run is bred by Successful Native out of the Left Banker mare Runaway Julie. She is owned by Karen Parsard and Henry Pratt.
Trainer Jason DaCosta and jockeys Robert Halledeen and Youville Pinnock won two races each on the day.
DaCosta saddled Is That A Fact (Carlos Blake Jr) in the $2-million Reggae Trophy over five furlongs (1,000m) straight) and Rosetta (Robert Halledeen) in the eighth race. Halledeen had earlier booted home Jaguar in the second race for trainer Ricardo Mathie for his double.
Pinnock was successful aboard Heroine for trainer Barrington Bernard in the fourth race and Sir John for trainer Edward Walker in the very next race.
Racing continues today, featuring the fourth running of the $3-million The Kingston.