By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterTHE EAGERLY awaited clash between the reigning 'Horse of the Year' A KING IS BORN and top sprinter LIL'COUNTRY BOY is on at Caymanas Park tomorrow and this is worth going miles to see.
Both horses come face to face in the $775,000 Graded Stakes for the She's On Wheels Trophy over 1100 metres and although five runners have been declared, it should come down to a spectacular match race between the super stars of the local turf.
The American bred 4-y-o colt LIL'COUNTRY BOY will as usual be ridden by champion jockey Trevor Simpson for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta and owner Alexander Haber. And A KING IS BORN by leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths for many-time champion trainer Philip Feanny and popular owner Howard Hamilton.
Last year the race resulted in a thrilling dead-heat between champion sprinter I'MSATISFIED and SPIRIT OF JAMAICA (subsequently disqualified). But if that was exciting, you ain't seen nothing yet. This is truly a clash of the titans.
Significantly, both horses were on a head on course form a previous meeting in the valuable Lotto Sprint Trophy over 1100 metres on May 15, but A KING IS BORN had to be withdrawn prior to race time, having gone lame.
This time, however, the 2003 Guineas and Derby winner has been catching pigeons at exercise and none will report fitter.
UNBEATEN
Significantly, A KING IS BORN who is unbeaten in two starts this season is coming off an impressive win over the straight five course on July 10, the 4-y-o colt by Royal Minister out of the 1990 Guineas and Derby winner Distinctly Native covering the distance in near track record time of 56.4 despite top weight of 57.0kg.
Back in action with Lasix administered for the first time, A KING IS BORN definitely has the class to put the marauding LIL'COUNTRY BOY behind bars. Class is one thing, but speed could be the determining factor today and LIL'COUNTRY BOY is blessed with an abundance of that.
Since being administered Lasix for the first time on March 20, LIL'COUNTRY BOY has looked awesome in winning four consecutive races in post-to-post fashion, the most recent on June 26 when showing subsequent winner I'MSATISFIED a clean pair of heels in the Eileen Cliggott Trophy over 1300 metres, leading in fast splits of 22:3, 45.1.
Among his victims was the highly thought of American filly INTERNET COMMANDER who finished a floundering last after chasing the 'Speed Merchant' for the first 600 metres.
Prior to that race LIL'COUNTRY BOY led in even faster splits (22.2, 45.1) when lifting the Lotto Sprint Trophy in the smart time of 1:05.0 and really needs no introduction.
Both LIL'COUNTRY BOY and A KING IS BORN will have their multitude of supporters right down the middle. The ultimate question is: Can top weight LIL'COUNTRY BOY (59.0kg) successfully allow A KING IS BORN (54.0kg) 5.0kg?
