Lion of Ekati, a seven-year-old American-bred dark bay/brown gelding, has made it five wins in a row. He dominated the opening race on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at Caymanas Park, finishing 6¾ lengths ahead of his nearest rival.

The contest was a three-year-old and upward Optional Claiming ($350,000-$250,000) race that included six-year-olds and upward (non-winners of three) over 7 ½ furlongs (1,500m). Trained by Oraldo Chin and ridden by Reyan Lewis, Lion of Ekati (Tale of Ekati – Indian Conduct) won in a time of 1:38.0 (25.0 x 49.0 x 1:16.1 x 1:30.2).

Lion of Ekati was held off the pace as Curlin’s Flight (Robert Halledeen) led the field ahead of
Tuts (Tevin Foster), Don Pablo (Christopher Mamdeen), and Spragga (Shaheem Gordon) down the backstretch. Lion of Ekati maintained his steady gallop well until going into the half-mile (800m) when he began to round horses.

Lion of Ekati slipped down into second place behind Spragga approaching the distance, looking dangerous as he gained on th leader. With the momentum going his way, Lion of Ekati sprinted clear of rivals to win easily at the wire. Spragga was second and Always Wright (Jerome Innis) was third.