By Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer 
Coltrane
ALL IS in place for Monday's big Boxing Day meet at Caymanas Park, featuring the $2.25 million Supreme Ventures Jamaica 2-Y-O Stakes over 1600 metres.
Also on the 13-race programme is the $1.5 million Harry Jackson Memorial Cup over 2400 metres for three-year-olds and up. Heading the six nominees is this year's Derby and Superstakes winner DISTINCTLY IRISH, a leading contender for 'Horse of the Year'.
Meanwhile, eight native bred two-year-olds were nominated at the overnight stage for the Supreme Ventures 2-Y-O Stakes, including the brilliant stable-companions COLTRANE and KAMIR who between them have won nine races and close to $4 million in stakes for owner/trainer Richard Azan.
In addition to the fancied pair, others down to run are the unbeaten MIRACLE MAN, NATURAL DESIRE, THUNDER SQUAD, STATE PRINCE, HEZA RANKING and KELHOMBRE.
OWNER'S TITLE RACE
Azan, the reigning champion owner, will need to saddle the winner and runner-of this valuable race in COLTRANE and KAMIR, respectively, if he hopes to catch Ruth Hussey in a bid for a sixth consecutive owners' title. (See owners standing at top of page).
Should the Azan horses occupy the first two places, this would net him close to $1.5 million in purse money, a move that could go a far way in upstaging Mrs. Hussey in what is shaping up to be a photo-finish between them on the final raceday of 2004.
COLTRANE, the season's top two-year-old with five consecutive wins from six starts and $2,030,450 in stakes, has stamped himself as one of the best native bred juveniles to emerge in years, thanks to a combined winning margin of 48 lengths!
SMART TIME
The bay colt by Royal Minister out of the Texas Prospector mare Ebony Fire, beat his impressive stable-companion KAMIR by 2 1/4 lengths when they last met in the $1.5 million Red Stripe 2-Y-O Breeders Stakes over 1400 metres on November 13. He chased the previously unbeaten KAMIR into the straight and came through on the inside rails leaving the furlong pole to win in the smart time of 1:25.0 on a slow surface.
In the absence of COLTRANE, KAMIR came back with an emphatic front running display to romp the Turf Club 2-Y-O Stakes over 1400 metres, beating NATURAL DESIRE by 4 3/4 lengths in a time of 1:27.0.
Since then, KAMIR has been burning up the track at exercise, beating COLTRANE in a super fast exercise gallop over the round five course some days ago. Former champion jockey Shane Ellis, who has won aboard both horses and obviously had choice of rides, has elected to stay with COLTRANE, and rightly so. Although lacking the speed of KAMIR he looks the better horse at a mile.
Although it should come down to the Azan pair, MIRACLE MAN showed enough on his debut over 1400 metres earlier this month to be conceded a chance.
Trained by 'Hall of Famer' Allan 'Billy' Williams for popular owner Joseph Duany, MIRACLE MAN ran on strongly in mid-stretch to win by three lengths from ROYAL COMMAND, covering the distance in 1:27.3. He has tremendous scope for improvement.
COLTRANE, however, is definitely a class act and should seal the champion 2-y-o award at the expense of KAMIR and MIRACLE MAN.
In addition to the big two-year-old race, Supreme Ventures Limited will sponsor four other races on the card in a million-dollar package.
These are the TOBA/Supreme Ventures Yearling Sale Series No. 3 over the straight five course with a purse of $565,000, Supreme Ventures Supreme Canter Trophy for four-year-olds and up (non winners of two) over 1300 metres, Supreme Ventures Supreme Encounter Trophy 3-y-o and up overnight allowance race over 1300 metres and Supreme Ventures Super Dash Trophy $140,000 claiming race over 1200 metres.
In the stands, Supreme Ventures will be giving away five prizes of $20,000 each to lucky punters in their lucrative Treasure Chest promotion, while the popular Kiddies Stables will facilitate the more grown-up children from the Musgrave Girls Home and St. Augustine Place of Safety for boys on this occasion.
