Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
FLEET-FOOTED AMERICAN filly MILLENIUM PRINCESS captured her second straight trophy this year, going wire-to-wire to win the open allowance feature for the St. Catherine Cup over 1,100 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Ridden by champion apprentice Paul Francis, replacing the filly's customary rider Shane Ellis who had a falling out with trainer Anthony Nunes earlier his week and was fired as stable jockey, MILLENIUM PRINCESS led from highly fancied KING AL and proceeded to show her five opponents a clear pair of heels.
In the end, she had 6 1/2 lengths to spare over 10-1 chance SIR DONALD (outpaced) with Ellis astride, while SCOTCHONTHEROCKS at 4-1 finished another length away third.
MILLENIUM PRINCESS covered the distance in the good time of 1:06.2, behind splits of 22.4 and 46.3 for the half mile. She had previously won the Ivan Delevante Memorial Cup over 1,200 metres on January 10 with Ellis up, staving off top-heavy favourite JACK DE PRINCE by a length.
Owned jointly by Charles Lawrence and David Powell, the 4-y-o chestnut filly by Mutakddim out of Hopeful Princess has won three of her past four races.
Also making it two in a row was front-running COURT CASE (4-1) in the overnight allowance race over the circular nine course.
HUNTING A HAT-TRICK
Fresh from his fast time post to post win over a mile (1:37.4) on January 31, the five-year-old horse from the stables of eight-time champion Kenneth Mattis made most ahead of WARREN B (16-1) and the evens favourite EPICTATUS hunting a hat-trick of wins with leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths riding for Nunes.
Although giving way to the apprentice-ridden WARREN B approaching the final bend and with EPICTATUS also looming large from early in the straight, COURT CASE staged a tremendous rally on the inside early in the last furlong to beat EPICTATUS by 1 1/2L with WARREN B third. The son of Al's River Cat was again ridden by Panamanian jockey Ameth Robles.
The race was delayed for some eight minutes when HAPHAZARD slipped up in the starting gate and got stuck under the gate. He was subsequently declared a late non-starter, reducing the field to nine.
On a day of mixed fortunes for punters, MILLENIUM PRINCESS was one of five favourites to score on the 11-race programme. The others were Wayne DaCosta's BUYABOOK with Griffiths astride in the first race, WATERMELONMAN at evens, KYLE'S DIVA at 6-5 and PHANTOM J under the veteran Vassel Najair at 9-5.
The upsets were provided by HONEY BEE at 37-1 for trainer Gary Subratie and PERSONAL ONE at 20-1 for trainer Morris Powell.
