- Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Red Stripe's marketing director Wayne Lawrence (left), Caymanas Track Limited's executive manager for marketing, Millicent Lynch (centre) and Red Stripe's managing director, Mark McKenzie admire the trophies to be presented to winning connections of the Red Stripe Superstakes to be run over 2000 metres at Caymanas Park on Saturday, November 13.
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
THE FINAL prep for the November 13 Red Stripe Caribbean Sprint, the 3-y-o and up open allowance for the Melvin 'Babu' Chin Memorial Trophy over 1200 metres, is today's feature at Caymanas Park.
In addition to the 11 local races, CTL will facilitate the eight Breeders' Cup races on simulcast from Lone Star Park near Dallas in Texas. In fact, CTL will beam for wagering purposes all 12 races from Lone Star Park.
At least four runners in today's 'Babu' Chin lineup RAKKADASH, CRUCIAL POINT, JACK DE PRINCE and COURT CASE are expected to run in the $2 million Red Stripe Sprint, a race in which they will face off with the country's top sprinter, reigning 'Horse of the Year' A KING IS BORN from the Philip Feanny stables.
With no-hoper SIR ROMEL looking hopelessly out of place in the six-horse field, indications are that it will provide keen competition among the other five runners.
WON THIS RACE TWO YEARS AGO
RAKKADASH, who won this race two years ago, should come in for a lot of support despite having to carry top weight of 57kg under leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths.
The 6-y-o gelding from the stables of 13-time champion Feanny successfully carried top weight on October 2 when staving off the imported mare STORYBOUND by a length with JACK DE PRINCE third over the distance on October 16.
RAKKADASH just doesn't know how to run a bad race and even from the head of the scales, he will only go down fighting.
The Gary Subratie-trained STORYBOUND has gone close in her only two starts locally, losing to RAKKADASH and then ROYAL MALICE over 1100 metres in both instances.
She will report cherry ripe for today's encounter and with only 49kg and bustling lightweight Robert Reid aboard, could well open her account, having won a number of races overseas.
The Ken Mattis-trained COURT CASE advertised his well-being last Saturday when finishing a close third to bang-in-form BLACK THATCH in the Fontainbleu Trophy over 1500 metres and now, eased a bit in the weights, can impact on the outcome, especially with the trip reduced.
Despite the good claims of COURT CASE, RAKKADASH and STORYBOUND, the one I like best is JACK DE PRINCE who failed by only half a length to catch none other than A KING IS BORN over the distance in the None Such Sprint on October 16.
That was a significantly improved performance from the Wayne DaCosta-trained four-year-old gelding who could well have beaten A KING IS BORN had things gone right for him in that race. He not only missed the break and was outpaced as a result, but was forced to come wide into the straight as well.
However, he finished like a runaway train leaving the furlong pole to ensure a close race.
Having worked well since, galloping five furlongs in a fast 58.4 on Monday morning, JACK DE PRINCE will not be easily denied, especially now reunited with champion jockey Trevor Simpson.
Significantly, both last teamed up to win impressively over 1100 metres on August 18, beating COURT CASE and RAKKADASH into third and fourth places respectively. That race was run in the smart time of 1:05.3 and from all indications, JACK DE PRINCE is poised to repeat the feat.
Other firm fancies on the card are ESTOY LISTO in the first race for two-year-olds, LONG LONG JOURNEY to catch MEDICAL ACCOUNT in the fourth, OH NO GRANDPA to make amends for his recent near miss by landing the sixth, BANJUHAR to catch recent conqueror ROSE BUD and PEACE & LOVE in the seventh and the well prepared TROPICAL STORM to upstage TUTOR and THIS IS THE GIRL in the ninth for maiden three-year-olds.
