Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
Coltrane, with George HoSang aboard, beating Miracle Man (Winston Griffiths) in the 2000 Guineas last year. - CONTRIBUTED
COLTRANE, THE classy three-year-old bay gelding who won the 2000 Guineas on April 2, died recently from an infection.
By Royal Minister out of the French Champagne mare Ebony Fire, COLTRANE, who was owned and trained by Richard Azan, had been sidelined with a shoulder injury since running poorly behind KINGSTONIAN over 1300 metres on St. Leger Day, July 2 at Caymanas Park.
Prior to that he was highly fancied to win the June 4 Digicel Jamaica Derby, but finished a poor sixth to MIRACLE MAN, beaten by 24 lengths with Charles Hussey aboard.
According to Azan, COLTRANE was affected by a shoulder problem from the derby, and ran below expectations as a result. The trainer explains:
"He had been recuperating on a farm in St. Catherine and picked up an infection. We were treating him for this and he had a bad reaction to the medication, collapsed and died."
Azan further disclosed that his intention was to race COLTRANE as a four-year-old next year, had he recovered fully.
"This is a sad loss to racing as a fit COLTRANE had so much more to offer on the track", moaned the many-time champion owner.
Bred by the Orange Valley Estates Limited, COLTRANE had a racing record of six wins from 10 lifetime starts with total stakes of $3.5 million.
He won five consecutive races as a two-year-old last year, including the valuable Red Stripe two-year-old Stakes over 1400 metres on Superstakes Day (November 13), a race in which he led home his fleet-footed stable-companion KAMIR by two lengths in the smart time of 1:25.0.
Despite this, he was beaten by KAMIR and MIRACLE MAN in the Supreme Ventures Jamaica two-year-old Stakes over a mile last Boxing Day and this cost him the champion two-year-old award, which went to KAMIR.
