Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
Miracle Man storms to victory in the Governor's Cup with Winston Griffiths aboard. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
NINE NATIVE-BRED three-year-olds go in quest of glory at Caymanas Park today in the 85th running of the Digicel Jamaica Derby over 2400 metres.
The race offers a total purse of $4 million, including a million-dollar contribution from Digicel. The mobile communications giant has gone a step further by putting up total purse money of $3 million for the day.
One such race to benefit on the 13-race programme is the fifth running of the Digicel Irish Jamaican Stakes (Grade One) over 1300 metres to be contested by nine top class horses.
RACE MOVED UP
Significantly, the $1.25 million race was previously run towards the end of August each year, but has been brought forward as part of the Digicel Derby Day package.
Indeed, all the races on the card (including three other sponsored races) will benefit directly from additional purse money from Digicel, six additional races supplemented by $50,000 each and two by $25,000.
Two of the other sponsored races worthy of mention are the Digicel Juvenile Stakes for native bred maiden two-year-olds with nine declared, and the knotty looking Motorola Sprint (overnight allowance) to be contested by a maximum field of 16 over 1300 metres.
However, the race that holds centrestage is of course the Digicel Derby in which the 2000 Guineas hero COLTRANE and the Lotto Classic (Governor's Cup) winner MIRACLE MAN are top contenders.
Also present are the Courts Jamaica Oaks winner ALL FOR PLEASURE, the 2000 Guineas third ROYAL COMMAND and the Lotto Classic runner-up AD INFINITUM.
Looking at the field, two <
of the starters, COLTRANE and MIRACLE MAN, are exceptional three-year-olds with class written all over them.
AD INFINITUM is a late bloomer who is coming on at the right time, while based on his running in the 2000 Guineas when closing fast into third place,
a length behind the runner-up MIRACLE MAN, ROYAL COMMAND has shown the capacity to figure seriously in a race of this nature.
Owner/trainer Richard Azan holds a fairly strong hand with COLTRANE under four-time champion Charles Hussey, who was inducted into the 'Hall of Fame' on Thursday night, and ROYAL COMMAND, the mount of champion jockey, Trevor Simpson.
TRAINED TO THE MINUTE
COLTRANE will be racing for the first time since his Guineas win, but has been trained to the minute in quest of this once in a lifetime shot at Derby glory.
"I have been training him to run 12 furlongs and I expect that he'll get the distance," disclosed Azan. "I am not concerned about the distance," he was quick to add. "What matters is ability."
Continuing, Azan said both horses have been meticulously prepared to give of their best and "may the better horse win".
Regarding ROYAL COMMAND, Azan confessed that it was a miscalculation on his part to run him in the Governor's Cup, seeing that he had to give away weight all around, especially to a horse as good as MIRACLE MAN.
"He's in better shape and is coming to run a lot better," he said of ROYAL COMMAND. "I am sure the race will present itself differently... It's a longer race, the pace will be different.
"I am going to give both horses the fairest chance to win and so instructions will be given for each horse for their respective benefits," said Azan who is seeking his second Derby win following DORVAL, which he also owned, in 1995.
The trainer readily concedes that COLTRANE is the better of his two horses and his main hopes rest with the classy dark bay gelding by Royal Minister out of Ebony Fire, who to date has won six races from eight career starts, including the GUineas on April 2
COLTRANE is indeed a class act and in a race lacking real pace, Hussey is expected to put him in contention from early. He'll be watching MIRACLE MAN as they sort themselves out and I see it developing into a two-horse race from the final bend.
While COLTRANE will only go down fighting, I think the horse to beat is the May 14 Lotto Classic winner MIRACLE MAN, who is trained by veteran Hall of Famer' Allan 'Billy' Williams for popular owner Joseph 'Fudgie' Duany.
True, MIRACLE MAN was beaten a length and a half into second place by COLTRANE, coming from behind, in the 2000 Guineas over a mile. But it should be recalled that he was ridden to dispute the lead with the winner's more fancied stable-companion KAMIR in scorching splits of 46.4 for the first half mile and a blistering 1:11.4 for the first six furlongs.
That he was passed by COLTRANE from early in the straight to be two lengths second a furlong out, then stayed on to finish 1-1/2 second, is testimony to his grit and determination.
In the absence of COLTRANE, MIRACLE MAN rebounded with an emphatic four-length victory over the Anthony Nunes-trained AD INFINITUM, coming through 600-metres out to win in the good time of 2:07.1, with leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths aboard.
"Fanna" gives way to Florida-based Jamaican jockey Allen Maragh who has won with MIRACLE MAN on two occasions and knows him like the back of his hand.
A full brother to the 2003 Governor's Cup, St. Leger and UBA Gold Cup winner HERECOMESFUDGIE, MIRACLE MAN, a massive chestnut colt by Law Of Sea out of Hya, is bred to get the Derby distance and being a late foal, having turned three only last month, has tremendous scope for further improvement.
What's more, MIRACLE MAN has worked well for today's big encounter and I am expecting the big, far-striding animal to outstay COLTRANE, thus giving 'Billy' Williams his sixth Derby winner in a long and distinguished career, his first being THANK YOU SIR in 1963.
"I've been to a mile and quarter," said the 75-year-old Williams of MIRACLE MAN. "I only have two more furlongs to go. He (Coltrane) has a whole half-mile."
I am expecting MIRACLE MAN to dispose of COLTRANE from early in the straight and win decisively, enabling Maragh to make up for his near miss in the year 2000 when his mount, the rank outsider GENERAL VERRAZANO, was narrowly beaten by I'MSATISFIED, who ws trained by Philip Feanny for Duany
Other firm fancies on the card, which also features the $150,000 Digicel Steeple Chase (jumps) over 600 metres to be contested by nine riders from the Equestriasn Federation of Jamaica and offers win, place, quinella and exacta betting, are A KING IS BORN to upstage CLOCK WORK and DISTINCTLY IRISH in the Digicel Irish Jamaican Stakes, CRIMSON MAGIC to beat SIR KISSON LAL in the 3rd, ALL FIRED UP in the 6th, PLATINUM GLORY in the 7th, DON'T STAY NAKED in the 8th and JUST SOME THOUGHTS over CRUCIAL POINT and SEATTLE'S GIRL in the closing race, the knotty looking Motorola Sprint (overnight allowance to be contested by the maximum 16 starters.
