THE usual talking points as to the likely outcome of the opening Classics is in full swing and a precursor to what will unfold over this weekend when the 1000 and 2000 Guineas will create the excitement. The atmosphere around today’s race card, therefore, was basically as routine as the calm before the storm.

The feature was another renewal of the five-and-a-half-furlong Open Allowance Harlequin Trophy, and
Don Kwesi (7-2), trained by Barrington Bernard, outran front-running 4-5 favourite California Crown (Robert Halledeen) in the closing stages to score by just under two lengths. Ridden by Demar Williams, who was declared for the ninth-consecutive time, the strapping colt has won five of its last six races and seven of its last 11 in 15 career starts.

Race one, a divided Maiden Condition restricted to three-year-old colts, geldings, and fillies, was run at seven furlongs. On debut, after a slow start, the progeny of Take Charge Indy (USA) was five lengths third to Rockhampton and Eye Of The Tiger on April 4. Therefore, defeat was out of the question for City Of Dreams (2-5), schooled by Peter-John Parsard and ridden by Raddesh Roman for the first of a stable and riding double, respectively. Racing for the second time, the promising colt, imported in utero, scored impressively by just over nine lengths.

Ridden by Tevin Foster, favourite at 1-5, Army Tank (USA) facilitated Parsard’s second visit to the winners’ enclosure with a romp of 15 and a half lengths to stop the clock at 1.04.2 for the gallop of five and a half furlongs. Over the same distance Dane Dawkins, the 2022 champion, won race three aboard
Family Feud (2-1). The four-year-old bay/brown filly from the stable of Winston Morris scored by over 13 lengths to be the third-consecutive wide-margin on the card.

Trainer Carlton Cunningham, fresh from a three-timer last on the last race day, won the fourth of 10 events on the card. Well-ridden by apprentice Jaheim Anderson, She’s Adorable (6-5) was held up third before splitting rivals a furlong out, and went on to score by nearly two lengths. The fifth event saw a return to winning ways by nine-year-old Big Big Daddy (6-5), with a four-length margin under former six-time champion Omar Walker for long-serving trainer Arnold Rambally.

Jaheim Gordon winning aboard She’s Adorable. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

Interestingly, race six — with a field of 15 four-year-old maidens partnered by jockeys without a winning mount since the 1st of last December — was won by Money Mission (4-5). The filly, trained by owner Oral Hayden, was assisted to a victory margin of over four lengths by Chalrick Budhai.

For the first of two wins on the card, former three-time champion conditioner Anthony Nunes saddled the first two to finish in race seven over the straight course.Winner Brompton Boy finished strongly for a length-and-a-half win margin over stablemate Bowmore. Both horses, owned by Nadon, started at odds of 20/1 and were ridden by apprentices Eric Haughton and Yvonne Haynes, respectively.

Nunes revisited the winners’ enclosure, when race eight ended, with Dark Authority (3-2), Tajay Suckoo having guided the colt to a one-length advantage in the second Division of the Maiden Condition opening event.

Unbelievable Force (3-5), ridden by champion Raddesh Roman to confirm the rider’s double success, outsprinted 10 rivals to win the Overnight Allowance Milliard Zaidie Cup, run as race 10 over five and a half furlongs. The five-year-old, US-bred, dark bay mare was saddled by former 14-time titlist Philip Feanny to score by four and three parts of a length.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Barrington Bernard for the progressive form of Don Kwesi in winning at the Open Allowance level on promotion at the first time of asking. With the plethora of victories by US importees the order of the day it is somewhat rare for locally bred horses to succeed here.
Don Kwesi also delivered the Best Winning Gallop under the expert guidance of Demar Williams, who took another Jockeyship Award.