IN the opener, favourite Himaya (9-5) — from the outfit of Carlton Cunningham — in an event for $350k claimers run at seven and a half furlongs, got the best-possible assistance from 2022 champion reinsman Dane Dawkins to beat 12-1 shot Charming Sound by half a length in a competitive finish.

Forty-three minutes later, the second event of 10 on the day came in race two with
Birthday King (USA) winning the second juvenile restricted event of the 2026 season. Schooled by four-time and reigning conditioner Jason DaCosta the colt, a well-confirmed chestnut progeny of American stallion Kantharos, started at odds of 2-5, led and scored by just over two lengths, sprinted the three furlongs in 36.3 seconds, slow, but was not to be dismissed.

Ridden by Tevin Foster, for the first of his three-timer, Birthday King (USA) was the first of two on the card for the irrepressible trainer/jockey collaboration. The second for these in form horsemen came in the Restricted Stakes seventh event, with Gallant Groom (USA) scoring by 19 lengths. The race was treated more like a schooling exercise as Foster did not allow any idling and kept the burly colt up to its work to clock 1:19.1 for the six and a half furlongs of the gallop.

Race three was reduced to four starters as Don’t Tell Lou Lou and Lucky Papa, both well-fancied in the betting, did not come under starter’s orders. Oh My Gosh (6-1), ridden by Jahiem Anderson for trainer Ryan Darby, won the five-furlong straight sprint by just under one length.

In the afternoon’s fourth it was a more than promising debut for the Spencer Chung-schooled three-year-old gelding Dreambeachdreaming (USA). Starting at odds of 7/5, the impressively conformed progeny of Slumber (GB), an English-bred stallion serving in New York, won by 5½ lengths. The bay gelding was given the full benefit of the experience of Ian Spence, the ‘dean’ of the jockeys’ colony, as this far-striding thoroughbred was allowed to relax off the early pace before taking command inside the last furlong.

Whizz Kidd winning with Richie Shakes aboard. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Apprentice Anthony Frazer, one of the 2024 graduates of the Jamaica Racing Commission Jockeys Programme, had what will be an unforgettable day of his life. His first success of a frustrating experience so far materialised in victory aboard Rejected Raja (7-2), saddled by Ricardo Brown, to score by just over a length in race five, run on the straight course for $700k claimers.

Speaking of 2024 JRCRS graduates, Tajay Suckoo, back from injury, was aboard Patrick Elliott’s Oil Machine (4-1) in the 6½-furlong closing event to win the contest for $1.5-million claimers by nearly four lengths. Anderson, Frazier and Shakes, with their successes, ensured that the JRCRS was well represented yet again.

Top flight now, non-claiming apprentice Ricky Shakes broke a lean two-month spell aboard
Ms Prosecutor (21-1) — declared by Everald Francis — to score in race six, a Maiden Condition restricted to three-year-old fillies. The event was run over 6½ furlongs and contested by a field of 13 starters. This was the opener of a double for Shakes, who guided 23-1 shot Whizz Kidd, entered by Errol Subratie, for a near-five-length success in the featured eight-furlong O&S Tack Room trophy.

Coming off a victory in race seven aboard the aforementioned Gallant Groom (USA), leading reinsman Tevin Foster closed a natural double and confirmed his three-timer simultaneously aboard Lauren’s Secret(4-5) in race eight. Saddled by perennially successful jockey-turned-trainer Patrick Lynch, Lauren’s Secret, in winning by a neck, needed the full skill set of Foster to land the six-furlong Restricted Allowance race for four-year-olds and older with fewer than three wins.

The Training Feat Award goes to veteran trainer Errol Subratie for presenting
Whizz Kidd to deliver the Best Winning Gallop in scoring so convincingly. Unusually, the Jockeyship Award is for Anthony Frazer, whose lack of any previous success was not evident as, in terms of correct posture in the saddle, judgement of pace, use of whip, and the requisite composure in a competitive finish, he met these criteria comfortably in all respects.