Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterTHE 2004 racing season bows out in style at Caymanas Park today with a well supported 13-race programme, featuring the $2.25 million Supreme Ventures Jamaica 2-Y-O Stakes over 1600 metres. Post time is 11:00 a.m.
Another important race on the big holiday card is the annual renewal of the Harry Jackson Memorial Cup over 2400 metres for three-year-olds and up. This race offers a total purse of $1.25 million.
The Harry Jackson Memorial, which fell through last year owing to insufficient entries, has attracted only five starters, all trained by Philip Feanny who will officially become champion at the end of the meet, having dethroned his arch rival Wayne DaCosta to claim his 14th trainers' title.
Heading the small field is this year's Derby and Superstakes winner DISTINCTLY IRISH, who is by far the season's leading stakes winner with just over $7 million in stakes, thanks to five wins from seven starts.
Owned by TOBA president Howard Hamilton, the classy three-year-old gelding by Irish Quest out of the 1990 Guineas and Derby winner Distinctly Native is locked in a dogfight with his older half brother and stable-companion A KING IS BORN for 'Horse of the Year' honours. Hence, victory in this race is crucial.
Both horses are not only conditioned by Feanny but owned by Hamilton and bred by Ken Gooden as well. Hamilton won the 2003 'Horse of the Year' award with A KING IS BORN and is seeking a unique double with either horse.
Despite having to carry top weight of 57.0kg, DISTINCTLY IRISH, to be ridden as usual by leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths, should outclass (and outstay) his main rivals HERECOMESFUDGIE and CAPTAIN BONE, both of whom are lightly weighted.
2-Y-O STAKES
Meanwhile, eight native-bred two-year-olds have been declared for the Supreme Ventures Jamaica 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.
COLTRANE again has the services of former champion jockey Shane Ellis while KAMIR, who has been administered Lasix for the first time, is being ridden for the first time by 'Fanna' Griffiths.
Azan, the reigning champion owner, will need to post the winner and runner of this valuable race with either COLTRANE and KAMIR if he hopes to catch Ruth Hussey in a bid for a sixth consecutive owner's title.
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 to be a close finish between them.
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 two-year-olds in years, thanks to a combined winning margin of 48 lengths.
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 (58.3) on December 15. With Lasix now administered, the bay colt by Prime Rate Powers out of the French Champagne mare Kamella should prove harder to catch.
CHOICE OF RIDES
Ellis, who has won with both horses and obviously had choice of rides, has elected to stay with COLTRANE who, despite lacking the speed of KAMIR, looks the better horse at a mile.
Although it should come down to the Azan pair, MIRACLE MAN showed enough on his début over 1400 metres earlier this month to complete the trifecta.
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. However, he lacks the experience of either COLTRANE or KAMIR at this stage and is one for 2005.
COLTRANE, however, is definitely a class act and should seal the champion 2-y-o award at the expense of KAMIR and MIRACLE MAN.
