Trainer Rohan Crichton is breathing a sigh of relief as his two charges,
Legacy Isle and Commandant, prepare to take on the best in tomorrow’s US$250,000 Mouttet Mile. Despite a tumultuous journey to the starting gate, both horses have shown remarkable resilience and are ready to give it their all.

Crichton revealed that the initial plan was to have the horses arrive in Jamaica in October, but a series of setbacks, including a denied entry and injuries sustained during transportation, forced a change in plans.

“We didn’t set out planning to come three weeks before the Mouttet Mile,” Crichton explained. “We had some issues, and the day the horses were to ship, they were denied entry. So, we trained them in isolation from that period to when they shipped to Jamaica for quarantine.”

After overcoming the initial hurdles, Crichton’s team faced another challenge when
Legacy Isle suffered an injury during transportation.

“Legacy Isle got injured in the trailer. It didn’t look good at first, but when I got there and got the veterinarian’s advice, it turned out to be not as bad as it looked,” Crichton said. “Both horses have scrapes and bruises, unfortunately. Legacy Isle apparently kicked the trailer, and something cut him on the back of his heel.”

Legacy Isle, a four-year-old American-bred colt by Shackleford – Queenamein,
boasts three wins from 13 starts, including a victory on July 20 at Gulfstream Park over one mile in 1:37.1.

Commandant, a four-year-old American-bred bay colt by Girvin – Alotofappeal, boasts five wins from 18 starts, including a victory on July 7 at Gulfstream Park over one mile and 70 yards in 1:40.0.

Despite the setbacks, both Legacy Isle and Commandant have shown remarkable progress in their training.

“Both of them worked fairly easy, and at this point in time, there’s no sense in doing too fast of a work,” Crichton noted. “On Monday, we took Legacy Isle back to the track after he worked, simply because I’ve been watching him every day, and every day that he goes out, he just feels more comfortable.”

Crichton expressed his gratitude to the staff at the gate and the race track maintenance for their assistance in accommodating his horses’ unique needs. “We were able to breeze in isolation on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, we had to get the blacksmith to come in and put on a special shoe on Legacy Isle to allow him to breeze, and it worked out.”

When asked about his strategy for the Mouttet Mile, Crichton hinted that Legacy Isle would likely be more forwardly placed, while Commandant would aim for a mid-pack position.

“I think the race is going to have a decent pace flow. Legacy Isle is actually a very quick horse, and so… I don’t try to tell the jockeys how to ride, but I would expect
Legacy Isle to be a little more forward and Commandant to be a little, hopefully, mid-pack with somewhere to run.”

Crichton acknowledged that this year’s Mouttet Mile is shaping up to be a highly competitive affair, with a number of talented horses in the mix.

“I think this year looks like a hotter race. Desert of Malibu seems to be a tough horse. ‘Baba’ Nunes has two nice horses in Barnaby and Tiz Tok, and there’s also Pack Plays.”