Ramgeet ... rides Haphazard
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
NATIVE BRED three-year-olds colts and fillies hold centre stage at Caymanas Park today in the $400,000 Sir Howard and Hot Line Stakes, both over 1200 metres.
The co-features have attracted eight starters with the Sir Howard Stakes for native bred colts and geldings promising keener competition among the likes of HAPHAZARD, SATISFIER, RED GENERAL, ROYAL RUN and TUFF E NUFF.
Despite this, HAPHAZARD who won the Mercury Sprint over the straight five course a fortnight ago, should not only start favourite but is tipped to justify the support as well.
Owned by Roylton D'Cambre and trained by Kevin Mattis, HAPHAZARD, purchased for a mere $100,000 in the 2000 yearling sale, came into his own on his third start by winning the Mercury Sprint, running on well approaching the distance to beat SATISFIER by 1 1/4 lengths in the fairly good time of 58.4.
The bay colt by Domino Jack out of Virginia Belle continues to move nicely at exercise and with the trip even more ideal, will not go down easily especially in the safe hands of Florida-based jockey Andrew Ramgeet who is back home for a short stint.
While I am expecting RED GENERAL, ROYAL RUN and stable-companion TUFF N NUFF to prove competitive in a race of this nature, I believe that if HAPHAZARD is beaten, the one best equipped to do so is old rival SATISFIER, to be ridden by leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths for champion trainer Philip Feanny who has a knack for bringing them back even better.
True, SATISFIER was clearly outpointed by HAPHAZARD in the closing stages of the Mercury Sprint, but he was not the best drawn that day and ran well with the pace nonetheless.
SATISFIER came back with a brave effort in defeat last Saturday, losing narrowly to the well forward debutant PRETTYPRESUMPTUOUS in a fast run 1100-metre race, only to be awarded first place in the Stewards' Room on the disqualification of PRETTYPRESUMPTUOUS who forced him to check and switch to the outside leaving the furlong pole. With trainer Feanny fitting his charge with the blinkers for this race, the hint should be taken.
BLACK THATCH, who failed by three-quarter length to tag highly thought of COURT CASE over 1500 metres on January 26, looks hard to oppose in the Hot Line Stakes for fillies.
With that performance, BLACK THATCH has already stamped herself as a worthy classic aspirant and despite the reduced trip and the claims of Percy Hussey's MICHELKA (working extremely well) and the Feanny pair of SASHIE and VOODO CHANT, the Wayne DaCosta trained filly by The Medic out of Savino should pack too mang guns for MICHELKA and SASHIE up the lane.
Other firm fancies on the card are DANCING FLAMES (will relish easier pace) to stave off WARRIOR in the first race, MEDIATOR (ran well on the lead last time) to make all at the expense of old rival MANILA HEAT in the second race, SUL EXPRESS (back to happy hunting ground) to outstay SLEW'S LEGEND and FLAVIA GIRL in the fifth over 2000 metres, and LADY CHAMELI (acts well over the straight) to outrun LADY KUMARI and LADY WAHEEDA in the sixth over the straight five course.
