- Michael SloleyRAKKADASH AGAIN: Hot favourite RAKKADASH (centre) with Winston Griffiths aboard, disposes of GOINGTOKANSASCITY (Trevor Simpson) to win yesterday's Melvin 'Babu' Chin feature over 1200 metres at Caymanas Park.
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
IN-FORM RAKKADASH sent his stocks soaring for the November 9 Red Stripe Caribbean Sprint with a decisive fast time victory in yesterday's Caymanas feature for the Melvin "Babu" Chin Memorial Cup (Starter Handicap 1 & II) over 1200 metres, the distance of the Caribbean Sprint.
Ridden as usual by leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths for popular owner Joseph "Fudgie" Duany and champion trainer Philip Feanny, RAKKADASH who recently equalled the straight five track record (56.3) completed a hat-trick of wins, this time as the howling 2-5 favourite.
He will join his illustrious stable-companion I'MSATISFIED (also owned by Duany) in the $1.5 million Caribbean Sprint and looking ahead, Duany seemingly has both hands on the coveted trophy barring unforseen circumstances.
Fastest away from the number seven post position, RAKKADASH was quickly overtaken by the 3-1 second favourite GOINGTOKANSASCITY who proceeded to lead by two lengths under top weight of 57.0kg. The two were followed by DR. R.S.F. and THE SANDMAN racing joint third in the field of eight.
GOINGTOKANASCITY turned for home still two lengths clear and full of running. For a stride or two approaching the furlong pole, he looked likely to hold the field at bay, but RAKKADASH, under a vigorous right hand stick from "Fanna" Griffiths, soon found top gear.
He caught up with GOINGTOKANSASCITY midway the last furlong and soon surged ahead to win by 1 1/2 lengths with a farther 3 1/4 lengths to RUCKUS (10-1) and THE SANDMAN (7-1) heads on for the minor placings.
Bred by the Y.S. (1955) Limited, RAKKADASH, a 4-y-o bay gelding by Exotic Traveler out of Forsaken, covered the distance in the smart time of 1:11.3, the same time recorded by I'MSATISFIED in winning the None-Such Sprint on the previous Saturday with Griffiths astride.
Duany could not be happier over his embarrassment of riches going in the Caribbean Sprint in 13 days time.
"I'm truly satisfied with the situation and if all goes well, I should run one-two.
"Most people would say that I'msatisfied is the best sprinter in the country and should win. But Rakkadash has come on so strongly in recent months that they could go down to the wire together. I would be more than happy if that is the case", he said.
Meanwhile, leading jockey Trevor "Slicer" Simpson rebounded from a fat nil on Heroes Day to boot home five winners on the card, his third five-timer this season.
His winners were the 4-5 favourite PRINCESS TALIA for leading trainer Wayne DaCosta in the third race, stable-companions the two-year-old debutante FLYING TIGER (1-5) and IDITAROD (4-1) in the fifth and sixth races, NUCLEAR POWER (4-5) who completed a hat-trick of wins in the eighth and POLISH STAR, a 3-5 favourite in the closing $100,000 claiming race.
By virtue of this windfall, Simpson pushed his season's tally to 143, needing only 25 more winners to break George HoSang's 1974 all-time seasonal record.
DaCosta, meanwhile, posted three winners to reach 88 for the season, one adrift of equalling Feanny's all-time record set two years ago.
Jamaica's top junior athlete, Usain Bolt, winner of the 200 metres final in the World Junior Games held here in July, won the Celebrity Walkstackle, on which win only betting was conducted, in a driving finish from CVM-TV's sportcaster Rohan Daley.
Although installed a 4-5 favourite in the field of 11, Bolt looked second best when Daley walked into a commanding lead in the last 50 metres of the 200-metre race. However, the lanky 16-year-old athlete from William Knibb High lengthened his long strides impressively to catch an exhausted Daley within shades of the wire, as former Olympian George Kerr placed third ahead of junior athlete Simone Facey.
The day's activities also featured a Health Fair and the eight Breeders' Cup races from Arlington Park in Chicago.
