Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer 
RENEE'S STAR (right, Ian Spence) getting the better of PRIME SUSPECT (Clive Lynch) in the Gladstone 'Puckoo' DeSouza Memorial Cup over 1600m at Caymanas Park yesterday. The winner, owned by Ready, Willing and Able and trained by Christopher Morrison went off at odds of 17-1. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
RENEE'S STAR at 17-1 and RED I at 6-1 won the respective co-feature races in contrasting styles at Caymanas Park yesterday.
The six-year-old grey mare RENEE'S STAR, who was saddled by Christopher Morrison, ran on strongly to win the $150,000 claiming race for the Gladstone 'Puckoo' DeSouza Memorial Cup over 1600 metres by two lengths from 3-1 chance PRIME SUSPECT.
RED I, on the other hand, made all convincingly to win the closing restricted allowance race (non-winners of two) for the Joshua Morrison Memorial Cup over 1500 metres by three lengths from fellow 6-1 chance QUIZAS ORO in a field of 12.
Owned and trained by veteran Ivan 'Bembe" Smith, the 4-y-o chestnut filly by Splinter Red out of the Restless Thief mare Lady Diana
provided lightweight jockey Anthony Baker with his first winner this
season.
Earlier, RENEE'S STAR provided Ian 'Dolly Baby' Spence with his first winner in 15 years locally, the 39-year-old jockey riding a well-judged race from off the early pace, as RAZZAK made most ahead of PRIME SUSPECT and highly fancied SAID I SAID I.
After coming four-wide into the straight, RENEE'S STAR responded to a strong ride from Spence to sweep past PRIME SUSPECT (Clive Lynch up) midway through the last furlong to record her second consecutive win, having scored narrowly over 1200 metres on April 30.
Spence, who returned home from the United States in March and resumed riding locally when having his first ride since 1990 in the Courts Jamaica Oaks on April 23, said he was happy to win on native soil after so many years and promised he
will continue to ride here for the remainder of the year.
MISSED CAYMANAS PARK
"I really missed the Caymanas Park atmosphere, that's why I have returned. My goal was to ride a
winner as quick as possible and after readjusting to conditions locally, the wait was worth it," he explained.
Spence, whose most memorable victory came in 1989 when he won the 2000 Guineas aboard THE VICEROY for trainer Philip Feanny after stable jockey Winston Griffiths refused the ride in favour of PRINCE MIKE, said over the years away from Jamaica, he had been riding with some success at a number of racetracks in the United States including Mountaineer, River Downs and Thistledown in Ohio where he last rode a winner on December 31.
Spence had fond memories of his earlier days at Caymanas Park, recalling that he was apprenticed to trainer Ivanhoe 'Skit' Williams in 1980 and that his first three winners (Black Jack, Star Wars and Excellence) were all disqualified.
Later in the afternoon, the Wayne DaCosta-trained TOTAL MOTION pulled off a stunning upset in winning the overnight allowance race over 1100 metres at odds of 53-1.
Ridden by Peter Bryan, TOTAL MOTION raced in touch as the evens favourite INSATIABLE, POSITIVE VIBES and MINISTEROFFINANCE alternated in the lead. But after turning for home a close third on the outside, TOTAL MOTION outfinished MINISTEROFFINANCE in the last furlong, winning by a neck in a field of nine.
On a day when no jockey rode two winners, current champion Trevor Simpson, who is mourning the loss
of his father who passed away last Tuesday in St. Thomas, rode
one winner in 2-5 favourite
PASSPORTMARIA for Feanny in the sixth race for native bred three-year-olds. The lightly-raced filly is unbeaten in two starts.
