Trainer Peter-John Parsard was over the moon after his talented filly Bootylicious won the prestigious $2-million Christopher “Chris” Armond Memorial Trophy at Caymanas Park on Tuesday, December 24, 204.

The Graded Stakes/Open Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upward over 5½ furlongs (1,100m) was a thrilling affair, with Bootylicious making a decisive move to win by half a length from American-bred runners Desert of Malibu and Pack Plays in a time of 1:05.4 (23.1 x 46.3 x 59.2).

For Parsard, this victory was a dream come true, as it marked his first Grade One win.

“This is a big race for me,” he exclaimed. “This is my first Grade One win, and so this is a race that I have always dreamed of winning from I was a young boy coming to the track. So winning a Grade One race was really special for me.”

Parsard was also quick to praise Bootylicious, who has been a special horse for him.

“Bootylicious is a horse that has been very important to us,” he said.

“She has been lightly handled, I have been trying to kind of protect her a lot, and she had some issues that we worked on. With the plan to breed her in 2026, the owners gave me the green light to put the trigger a little bit on her this year and see what she has in her legs, and she showed it today,” Parsard further said.

Parsard believes that Bootylicious has a lot more to offer, and he is excited to see what the future holds for her.

“She has a lot more left in her,” he said.

“We had actually entered her in the TOBA Yearling Sales this year, and we had a price that we were thinking of selling her at, and the owners leaned on me and said look, that if you don’t get the price that you are comfortable with, then we will allow you to decide if we keep her or sell her. And so this one is definitely special, and I have to dedicate it to the owners because they really put a lot of faith in me.”

Parsard also expressed his gratitude to his team, including his parents Ian and Karen Parsard, who have been supporting him from the start.

“All of them, from my parents to Mr Campbell and Alex, as from the start, they have been the foundation of team members that have been supporting me, and so it is more special to win this race for them,” he said.

As for the race itself, Parsard was confident that Bootylicious had it in the bag when he saw jockey Ismael Velasquez bitted her up approaching the half-mile mark.

“Going into the half-mile when I saw the jockey bitted up, I knew the race was over. She was too light to lose right here; Desert of Malibu is a very good horse, but it is a tough, tough ask to give such a fast horse that much weight and beat her. So I knew from she bitted up, it was over,” he said.

Looking ahead to next year, Parsard is excited about Bootylicious’s prospects.

“Next year is going to be an important year for her. She has run a second in Grade One, and I’m glad that she was able to win now, and the dream is that she will be able to kick on and compete well against the big boys,” he said.

As for his own career, Parsard is thrilled with the progress he has made in his first full year as a trainer.

“It has been a fantastic year for me as a trainer,” he told the Jamaica Observer’s
The Supreme Racing Guide.

“For the first full year in training to be in the top 10 is a major achievement, and that’s a secondary dream come true, and so I can’t complain. I am dreaming towards some Classic winners, and so hopefully, in the near future, some of the youngsters that we have can deliver for us,” he added.