Today the spotlight was on the track announcers and presenters, Anthony Tyson (race 2), Robert Darby Jr (race 4), Brian Rickman (race 5), Michael Cain (race 8) and Kevin Burnside (race 9), who made presentations to the winning connections. Obviously missing from participation was the ailing Howard Abrahams, an erstwhile colleague of this writer and one of the best and most knowledgeable race callers and radio analysts. Race six was the Howard Abrahams Trophy.

Featured on the programme of 10 races and staged as the final event was another renewal of the Caymanas Park Announcers Trophy, a 6½-furlong Overnight Allowance for non-winners at this level. Unsuccessful 2026 Triple Crown aspirant Mohanlal (2-1), fourth in the 2000 Guineas, made no impression in the St Leger or Jamaica Derby, overtook DaCosta’s battling pair of front runners I Dream Again (8-5) and Formalist (7-1), ridden by Halledeen and Foster, inside the last furlong to defeat them by two and five and a half lengths, respectively.

Sir Ganga Jamuna, trained by Ricardo Brown and bet at 7-1 against, won the opening $350K claiming event. The victory is owed in no measure to the above-average ability and experience of Phillip Parchment. The veteran reinsman and sitting president of the Jamaica Jockeys’ Guild induced the seven-year-old bay horse, a progeny of Legal Process, to abandon its customary early sprint for the lead, and to relax in a prominent position before overtaking the frontrunners close home to score by just under one length at the end of the five-furlong gallop on the straight course.

Favourite at odds of 2-5, Pop Rocket, partnered by Ian Spence for former 14-time champion trainer Philip Feanny, landed the odds but survived a scare with debutant
Clocky Tee (7-1) ridden by Chalrick Budhai, running greenly and closing late only to be beaten by three-quarters of a length in the Maiden Special Weight event for juveniles run over 4½ furlongs of the straight course.

Four-time and reigning champion Jason DaCosta saddled the first three to finish the Restricted Allowance race three for horses two years old with less than three wins. Big Stack (USA), bet at 1-1 with Robert Halledeen, led and repelled a strong late challenge from 2-5 favourite Birthday King (USA) to pass the post in front by a neck. Following a Steward’s Inquiry and a ruling on a jockey’s objection, the placings were reversed as Halledeen was deemed to cause interference and intimidation inside the last furlong, and leading rider Tevin Foster and, inevitably, DaCosta secured the opening leg of a double on the day.

Trained and declared by owner Collin Elcock, US-bred Princess Kris (2-1), with Shane Richardson up, produced a strong late burst of speed to strike the front 40 yards out to score by one length and a quarter over the 6½ furlongs of restricted Allowance IV, confined to four-year-olds and upwards, staged as race four. Following his opening double success at the heroes’ weekend carnival on October 17, 18 and 19, Princess Kris was therefore the third career win for the recently licensed trainer.

Dane Dawkins was aboard McMullen. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Roger Hewitt, engaged by trainer Barrington Bernard, executed the perfected performance aboard Secret Mission (8-1) to win the Restricted Allowance V fifth race for five-year-olds and upwards with no more than one win. Last but one three furlongs out, and taken wide at the home turn, Secret Mission’s late rush was good for victory but with only half a length to spare. Bernard declared her minus the regular blinkers and obviously instructed Hewitt to keep her off the early pace. The change from the frontrunning tactics deployed in her last four races did the trick.

Race six had a predictable outcome with KP Choice (4-5) commanding the early fractions of the gallop over five furlongs round to score by nearly three lengths. Two-time and reigning champion Raddesh Roman secured the first of two wins on the card. Another of the 25 recent licensees of the training cohort, Khamoal Nicol, enjoyed his lifelong memory of getting his career underway. In the celebration, his supporters ensured his shirt was thoroughly soaked with the appropriate liquid of their choice.

Dane Dawkins, the 2022 champion, was taken to the winners’ enclosure by the Peter-John Parsard-conditioned US-bred McMullen(6-5), a four-year-old gelded bay progeny of Bucchero (USA), who was always in control of the pace and won the 5½-furlong seventh-race exertion by over seven lengths ahead of 4-5 favourite Salute The Don. Brilliant Boy (4-5) won the Maiden Condition three-year-old, seven-furlong eighth event by four lengths to confirm the DaCosta stable double, with Halledeen executing the unexacting riding engagement with the requisite confidence.

Gary Subratie declared God’s Plan (3-5) for the third time in the month of October. The colt had legitimate excuses for two close second-place finishes, which for one reason or another should have been victories. To confirm his riding double, Tevin Foster was confident he was on the best horse in the Restricted Allowance II eighth event for non-winners of two races and God’s Plan duly delivered by a winning margin of three and a half lengths when the gallop of 7½ furlongs was completed.

Richard Azan prepared the Casual Trick bay colt for Mohanlal’s fifth success in 14 races, and Roman, for his second on the card, seemed to have had choice words for his two defeated professionals as he celebrated his riding double. However, with Foster’s double moving him to 89 winners as he seeks his first jockey’s title, Roman was still 12 behind, and a thir- consecutive championship with 12 race days remaining this season will be a challenge. Still, his fans remain hopeful.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Barrington Bernard for converting front-running Secret Mission into a closer to deliver the Best Winning Gallop, whilst Roger Hewitt takes the Jockeyship Award for the confident and well-judged application of the tactical plan for success.