THE new season commenced without any sort of fanfare, and in fact no promise came from either promoter Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment (SVREL) or Jamaica Racing Commission as to their view of the future in terms of specific deliverables for the development of the industry.

In the meantime, the promoting company endures continuous criticism from the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association and the United Racehorse Trainers Association of Jamaica when it is collective ignorance of the operatives of these entities which results in their failure to give the promoting company a viable racing product.

Truth be told, over the last 33 years the industry has not had the benefit of visionary leadership neither from regulator nor promoter, and the owners continue to think the flawed claiming system is a viable racing product from which meaningful purse returns can emerge. Nothing will change until there is a return to a proper classification of the horse population to ensure the majority of races offered become really profitable sales units. After 33 years of claiming and eight years after divestment, the racing plant is still pure ramshackle and less races annually is now the norm.

Saddled by Ryan Darby for the five-furlong straight opening event, 4-5 favourite Phoenix Risen, ridden by veteran Paul Francis, was just over five lengths better than the nearest rival. In race two, run at four furlongs straight, Tribal Chief (3-5) — ridden by Omar Walker to open a riding double and a triple for Anthony Nunes’ expansive barn — won by three and a half lengths.

Over the five and a half furlongs of race three, in another glaringly unprofitable event, 1-5 favourite Sensational Move, declared by Gary Subratie, won by over six lengths for 2022 champion Dane Dawkins to secure the first of a riding double. A former six-time champion, Walker confirmed his riding double and Nunes’ second of three aboard 7-1 bet Prince Amaan in race four over the maximum straight course distance.

Popular reinsman Larris “Amigo” Allen guided Matriarch (5-1), entered by Cashbert Khwalsingh, to score by a length and a half over the three and a half furlongs of race five. Former two-time champ Shane Ellis rode the first a double with 2017 Jamaica Derby winner
Drone Strike (2-1), coming home five lengths clear the end of the seven-furlong race six.
Drone Strike was declared by owner-trainer Paul “Sleeper” Charlton.

The seventh and featured SVREL Fan Appreciation Day Trophy went as expected to 1-5 bet
Commandant (USA), fresh from finishing just over one length third in the 2024 Mouttet Mile. This nine-furlong, -25 yard Overnight Allowance event is as many as three classes below that level. Ridden by champion Raddesh Roman, the Rohan Crighton-conditioned bay horse dominated from early and won by eight lengths. This is another prime example of the seriously flawed claiming system militating against the viability of SVREL by the inevitable non-competitive wagering.

Race eight was the traditional New Year’s Day Trophy, and from a position of a sponsored event for a higher class it was run as an event restricted to four-year-old and upwards non-winners of two races — which is another indicator of the deterioration of the racing product. The winner, Smart Trick (2-1), made all over the six and a half furlongs to secure the Ellis riding double and the three-timer for the Nunes stable.

Runner-up by a neck in the 2024 Mouttet Mile, Legacy Isle (USA) was the 1-2 favourite for the seven-furlong Open Allowance ninth event. With the favourite unable to complete the course for reasons yet to be disclosed, 2-1 bet Run Julie Run, the entry of Ian Parsard, was always clear to score by nearly six lengths and confirm the riding double of Dane Dawkins.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Parsard for continued improvement in the progressive form of Run Julie Run, using which she was able to dominate in her most exacting test to date. The Best Winning Gallop came from Smart Trick delivering a game performance to score by a short head under pressure, with Ellis’s superb rating of its pace over the distance unchallenged for the Jockeyship Award.