By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterTHE IMPORTED filly, SPIRIT OF JAMAICA, bounced back to her winning ways at Caymanas Park yesterday when easily defying top weight in the day's feature for the Gladiator Trophy over 1400 metres.
Ridden by in-form Trinidadian jockey Brian Harding, substituting for the declared rider Winston Griffiths, SPIRIT OF JAMAICA, a 2-5 favourite in the field of seven Starter Handicap I & II horses, chased the leader RUCKUS (9-1) before going by approaching the home turn.
In the straight, she kept on powerfully to win by 2 3/4 lengths from RUCKUS who had a similar margin to spare over the late closing SIR DONALD (5-1) in third.
The winner, an American 3-y-o bay filly by Quiet American out of Connecting Flight, is owned by Lisa and trained by outgoing champion Philip Feanny, his second consecutive Cup race win following smart 2-y-o THE VICE in the Yearling Sales series last Saturday.
SPIRIT OF JAMAICA, who was beaten into third place by seasoned 'A1' campaigner METEOR MAN in the million-dollar Red Stripe Mile on November 9, has now won four of her past five races.
Meanwhile, leading jockey Trevor Simpson rode two winners in odds-on favourite STILL A KING and CHECK ME OUT (3-1) to push his season's tally to 158, needing exactly 10 winners in nine race days to break George HoSang's seasonal record set in 1974.
Also riding two winners were Harding (Spirit Of Jamaica and the 2-y-o debutante Millenium Princess) and Valentino McBean (Firstborn at 6-1 and Respect For Mom 7-1).
STILL A KING made all convincingly in the fourth race over 1300 metres for maiden four-year-olds and up. And CHECK ME OUT quickly overcame a poor draw on the far side by angling towards mid-track to take the lead from early, then keeping on well to win the closing straight five claiming $(100,000) by 1 1/4 lengths from fast-finishing 4-1 shot ZIRCON.
Simpson is due to be summoned by the Operations Stewards after his mount GOINGTOKANSASCITY was disqualified for causing interference at the start of a 1200-metre race the previous Wednesday.
However, Operations Steward Desmond Riley explained yesterday that Simpson could face the Stewards for possible suspension next Tuesday as an appeal by the owner against the disqualification is being heard today and the outcome could determine whether the jockey sinks or swims.
Wayne DaCosta is on the verge of becoming the first trainer in the annals of local racing to saddle 100 winners in a season when 5-2 chance THAT'S GOLD marked his 99th winner.
The 3-y-o grey colt, who won his previous race on the round course on November 16, got home in a driving finish from highly fancied KING'S HIGHWAY with Charlton Riley again in the saddle.
