- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
SAMMY MY GIRL, one of two winners for jockey Shane Ellis, romps the seventh race over 1100 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday as the even-money favourite.
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
PERFECT TEN, ridden by former champion jockey Shane Ellis for popular owner Laurence Heffes, won yesterday's Caymanas Park 2-y-o feature for the Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy over the straight five course in decisive fashion.
She left in her wake the howling 1-2 favourite TROPICAL STORM who could only manage fourth.
Installed a 5-2 second favourite in a field of 10, PERFECT TEN won by two lengths from Richard Azan's IRISH CREAM, a 9-2 chance with apprentice Andrew Nunes aboard. SELECT PRINCESS, running at odds of 21-1, closed late to finish a farther 1 1/2 away third, relegating TROPICAL STORM to fourth on the line.
The Wayne DaCosta-trained TROPICAL STORM was ridden by champion jockey Trevor Simpson who returned from a seven-day suspension rather rusty in condition and failed to ride a winner from five attempts.
PERFECT TEN was early in the lead on the far side but just ahead of IRISH CREAM racing towards the stands' side, followed by FLYWITHME not far off and PERFECT STORM outpaced a bid in mid-track.
Angling slightly towards the middle, PERFECT TEN galloped on to the main track with IRISH CREAM close up on the outside but eventually put paid to his chances when finding another gear leaving the furlong pole for a good win, covering the distance in the fairly good time of 1:00.1.
TOTALLY CONFIDENT
A bay filly by Natural Selection out of the Gentleman Jinsky mare Matchless Lass, PERFECT TEN is trained by Patrick Fong and bred by Israel Williams of None Such fame. This was her first win from three starts and Heffes, a former champion owner, said losing was out of the question as far as he was concerned.
"I was totally confident," he said afterwards. "She had shown me at exercise that she had improved from her previous race when chasing home Seagar in a fast time and I just knew that she would not miss with no Seagar around," he said.
SEAGAR, meanwhile, solidified his claim as the best native bred two-year-old this season when leading home highly-fancied HEARTOFAMAVERICK by two lengths in the $725,000 Dewhurst Stakes over 1300 metres, race two in the Stallion Stakes series.
Ridden by former champion jockey Charles Hussey for his brother Percy and their mom, Ruth, SEAGAR, a 1-9 favourite, bided his time in third position early stages before cruising into the lead approaching the half mile.
He turned for home two lengths clear of the Simpson-ridden HEARTOFA-MAVERICK and kept on well for an emphatic victory, his second in a row from three starts. SEAGAR is a roan gelding by Law Of The Sea out of Fight For Pleasure, bred by the HAM Stables Limited.
The two other trophy races on the Jamaica Lottery Company-sponsored 11-race card saw the Guineas and Derby runner-up REAR ADMIRAL (2-5 favourite) coming through early in the straight to win the overnight allowance race for the Calvin O'Sullivan Memorial Cup by 3 1/2 lengths over the circular nine course.
The 3-y-o gelding completed a double for the Husseys, enabling Ruth Hussey to widen her lead at the top of the owners' standings with more than $7 million.
"BOB" MAYALL MEMORIAL TROPHY
The Philip Feanny-trained SATISFIER, an 8-5 favourite with top apprentice Paul Francis aboard, recovered from a slow start to grab the lead after a furlong and was never headed in the L.R. "Bob" Mayall Memorial Trophy over 1800 metres, this for top-class horses.
Significantly, as five jockeys rode two winners each. They were Charles Hussey, Shane Ellis (Sammy My Girl, Perfect Ten), Kenyatta Davis (Secret Power, Queen Hill) and the apprentice riders Dane Nelson (OK Don, Dancing Beauty) and Oneil Mullings on Clever Star, That's My Number).
Queen Hill (3-1) failed by a neck to catch the 13-1 chance Lucki Plucki in the closing 1800-metre race, but was awarded first place when Lucki Plucki was disqualified and placed second for causing interference (drifting out) to her in the last furlong.
