ANOTHER staging of the 55-year-old, traditional, six-furlong None Such Trophy, run as race eight, was the feature on the nine-race programme.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest locally bred sprinters, None Such was voted Horse Of The Year in 1967. Remarkably, the gelding won his first eight races and was rated in the top class as a juvenile — a rarity under the classification for the handicapping system. The gelding won regularly as an older horse, defying weights exceeding 133 and up to 140lbs.

Two late withdrawals reduced the declarations to four in this renewal of the None Such. At the finish, the 3-5 favourite Legacy Isle (USA) was just over three lengths ahead of nearest rival, Is That A Fact (USA), bet at even money. Champion for 2024 and 2025 designate Raddesh Roman, aboard his second on the card, executed the riding honours from in front for conditioner Rohan Crighton.

This secured double success for Roman as he partnered Anthony Nunes’ entry High Diplomacy (1-1) to a three-and-a-quarter second-place finish in the seven-furlong three. However, following a steward’s inquiry of near record-breaking length, High Diplomacy was promoted with the reversal of the placings with first-past-post
Wilson (7-2), ridden by Aaron Chatrie whose mount was deemed to have caused intimidation and interference inside the last 50 yards.

In the opening event, run over four furlongs of the straight course, the Cashbert Khwalsingh entry
Undeclared War (5-2), ridden by claimer Jaheim Anderson, prevailed by half-length over 7/5 favourite
Girlythebutcher(Miss Teneca Wolfe). Whilst just over half an hour later, the seven-furlong race three went to 9-1 shot Lion Of Ekati (USA), guided by 2023 champion Reyan Lewis, and was declared by trainer Norman Smith.

Winner of race four, Charming Sound (9-5), trained by former jockey Tensang Chung, had the benefit of the above-average skill set of 2022 champion Dane Dawkins. The five-year-old grey mare was held up behind the two pacemakers and Dawkins’ tactical move was to anticipate the opening of the gap on the rails to save ground.
Charming Sound led from the top of the stretch, running well from the distance to score by a half a length.

Race five, over seven furlongs, was reduced to a runaway by even money favourite Don Kwesi (Clive Lynch) as the Barrington Bernard entry was always clear and won by 10½ lengths. In race six, 40 minutes later, the backers and connections of Strong Mind (7-2) were treated to another good display of jockeyship. Claimer Demar Williams, for the first of double success, drove Strong Mind, saddled by Patrick Lynch, to a win margin advantage of a neck over the trip of five and a half furlongs.

Improving sprinter Comehometome (7-5), from the stable of champion and leading conditioner Jason Dacosta, outsprinted her five rivals over the five-furlong straight trip to take race seven by three and a half lengths, with claiming rider Shaheem Gordon securing his ninth success of the season.

As the supporting feature, the inaugural staging of the Trevor McKenzie Trophy to honour the memory of the 1965, 66 and 68 champion jockey, was run as the closing event. Interestingly, McKenzie’s father, Reggie, was titlist in 1940, 41, 42 and 45 whilst Winston Ellis, 1964, 67 and 69 is the father of Shane, the 2000 and 2015 champion.

Run on the five-straight course, the event went by a neck to 9-5 bet Bulletproofcoffee (USA), trained by Owen Sharpe and ridden by Demar Williams, to confirm his double success.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Patrick Lynch for the performance of Strong Mind, returning to sprinting after contesting the Classics to deliver the Best Winning Gallop. With a riding double where the margins of victory were a neck in both instances, Demar Williams was unchallenged for the Jockeyship Award.

Trainer Jason DaCosta (left) with his charge Comehometome (Shaheem Gordon). (Photo: Garfield Robinson)