RACING NEWS FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023
Wilson, trained by Oral Hayden and ridden by Javaniel Patterson, made all the running in a three-year-old and upward Optional Claiming ($400,000-$300,000) spread that included native-bred six-year-olds and upward (non-winners of four) and imported six-year-olds and upward (non-winners of three) over 7 furlongs (1,400m).
Wilson broke off well at the start of the race and assumed the lead ahead of Master of Hall (Jemar Jackson) and Expeditious (Ramon Nepare) down the backstretch. Wilson maintained his gallop well until approaching the half mile, when the eight-year-old upped the tempo on rivals.
Turning for home with an uncontested lead Wilson accelerated and powered home to score by 8 lengths at the wire, stopping the clock in a time of 1:29.0 (24.2 x 47.3 x 1:13.1). Expeditious finished in second place while Colawill (Oneil Mullings) ended in third place.
SUNSHINE CAT IN A ROMP
Nine-year-old chestnut mare Sunshine Cat easily brushed aside rivals in a three-year-old and upward Optional Claiming ($250,000–$200,000) race that included six-year-olds and upward (non-winners of three) and native-bred five-year-olds and upward (maidens) over 7 furlongs.
With Oneil Mullings riding for trainer Ryan Darby, Sunshine Cat sat behind the early pace in fourth position and watched as Golden Emperor (Devon A Thomas), Rick Ricardo (Anthony Thomas), Thunderstrike (Dane Dawkins) blazed the trail down the backstretch.
Sunshine Cat made her move at the half mile when she slipped down into second place between horses before picking up the lead ahead of Ricky Ricardo approaching the distance. Sunshine Cat turned for home with a healthy lead and kept her gallop well in deep stretch to win by 11 lengths.
Golden Emperor finished in second place ahead of Ricky Ricardo in third place. The final time for the race was 1:31.2 (25.0 x 49.1 x 1:15.2).
ABSOLUTE BLUE COMES GOOD DOWN THE STRAIGHT
Absolute Blue, a five-year-old bay horse by Storm Craft – Cattalogue, outsprinted rivals in a Restricted Allowance V contest for native-bred five-year-olds and upward (non-winners of two) and imported five-year-olds and upward (maidens) over 5 furlongs (1,000m) straight.
Bred, owned, and trained by Carl Anderson and ridden by Reyan Lewis, Abslolute Blue showed good speed at the break and matched early strides along with Beautiful Bran (Sadiki Blake), Lion Talk (Youville Pinnock), and JB Flyer (Chalrick Budhai).
Absolute Blue stayed with the field for the first half of the race before he began to pull away from rivals passing the dummy rails and onto the main track, for the last two furlongs (400m) of the contest.
Absolute Blue went on to win easily by 5¼ lengths, hitting the line ahead of Magic Bullet (Roger Hewitt) and Lion Talk in a time of 1:03.0 (23.3 x 47.4).
LADY ABHIMALA OFF THE MARK
Lady Abhimala, after just her second career start, was able to find the winning post in front in a Maiden Condition race for native-bred three-year-olds over 6 furlongs (1,200m).
Jockey Paul Francis got the Rowan Mathie-conditioned Lady Abhimala out of the starting gates in good order as the chestnut filly battled with Bad Investment (Javaniel Patterson) in the early exchanges. As the runners sorted themselves out going into the half-mile turn Phenomenal One (Anthony Allen) surged to the front and took the runners into the bend ahead of Lady Abhimala and Always Wright (Linton Steadman), as Bad Investment faded through the field.
Turning for home, Francis produced his mount for an effort and Lady Abhimala responded in the final stages of the race to beat Phenomenal One by a length and three quarters at the wire. May Sellington (Oneil Mullings) finished in third place with a final time of 1:14.2 (23.0 x 47.0).
EIGHT HORSES CLAIMED
In the first race Adrian Prince claimed Sheboom for himself from Wilfred Chin; O’Neil Markland claimed Hecandance for owner Janet Najair from Barrington Bernard; Anthony Dixon claimed Mine That Cat for owner Baldwin Williams from Donovan Russell; and Ryan Darby claimed Donalmighty for owner Howard Taffe from Raymond Townsend. All horses from the first event were claimed for $750,000 each.
Errol Waugh claimed Master Of Hall for owner Kyle Brown for $400,000 from Ryan Darby; and Winchester McIntosh claimed Wilson for himself, also for $400,000, from Oral Hayden from the second race.
In the third race Ryan Williams claimed Thunderstrike for owner Robert Williams from Alfred Davidson for $250,000, and Oral Hayden claimed Sunshine Cat for himself from Ryan Darby, also for $250,000.