Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
Harding ... rode three winners yesterday.
SUPER NATURAL kept his unbeaten record intact at Caymanas Park yesterday with a narrow victory over the previously unbeaten MINISTER ON FIRE in the Supreme Ventures-sponsored Cash Pot 'Only For Me' Trophy two-year-old feature over 1200 metres.
Offering a total purse of $2 million, this marked the first race in a lucrative series of three worth $7.5 million for native bred two-year-olds in the closing months of the season.
Supreme Ventures has contributed a whopping $5.5 million to the series. It continues on Saturday, November 26 with the second race over 1400 metres which offers another $2 million purse, culminating on Boxing Day, Tuesday, December 27 with the final race in the series, the Supreme Ventures Jamaica 2-Y-O Stakes (Grade I) over 1600 metres with a purse of $3 million.
In addition to the enormous purse money, provision has been made for a million-dollar bonus to the lucky owner of the two-year-old capable of winning all three races.
The race was run in torrential rain and very poor visibility, so much so that it was difficult to single out the horses until they approached the furlong pole.
SUPER NATURAL, the 9-5 third choice with in-form Charles Hussey O.D. riding for part owner and trainer Wayne DaCosta, raced prominently in fourth position as his lesser fancied stable-companion BULLET TRAIN (5-1), under title-chasing jockey Brian Harding led from the 6-5 favourite FIRE WORKS and DANCING SAM in the field of seven.
SHAKEN UP
With BULLET TRAIN giving way early in the straight, SUPER NATURAL ran through on the outside approaching the distance, but had to be shaken up to hold the fast-finishing 8-5 chance MINISTER ON FIRE at bay by a neck under champion jockey Trevor Simpson, with BULLET TRAIN fading into third.
The Philip Feanny-trained FIRE WORKS, a stable-companion of MINISTER ON FIRE, weakened badly under leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths up the lane to finish a floundering last.
UNBEATEN
A chestnut gelding by Alisios out of Unatural, SUPER NATURAL is unbeaten in three starts. He had previously won the Dewhurst Stakes over 1300 metres on September 21, but was subsequently scoped and administered Lasix for the first time yesterday.
He is co-owned by DaCosta, Alfred Lee and Edmund Thomas of WAR ZONE fame.
Meanwhile, seven-time Trinidadian champion jockey Brian Harding made a decisive move in search of his first title locally when he went by long-time leader Trevor 'Slicer' Simpson in the jockeys' standings, thanks to three winners on the 10-race card.
His winners were MOZURI at 5-2 in the second race for trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes, DON'T STAY NAKED at 2-1 for DaCosta in the fifth where he outrode Simpson aboard highly fancied VICTORIA in a driving finish to bring the house down and PRECOCIOUS MISS D at 5-1 for trainer Gary Subratie in the eighth race over 1100 metres for overnight allowance horses.
PRECOCIOUS MISS D actually passed the post second to the front running 6-1 shot ZICKWARTY under Panamanian jockey Ameth Robles, but was repeatedly impeded when attempting to pass him on the outside in the last furlong.
Following a Stewards Inquiry, ZICKWARTY was disqualified and placed second and the race awarded to the American filly PRECOCIOUS MISS D.
Simpson, fresh from a three-day suspension, failed to ride a winner on the card and was booed by a section of the crowd after losing to Harding aboard VICTORIA. This enabled his arch-rival to assume the lead and the race for the title is truly on with 2 1/2 months remaining.
Harding now leads with 70 winners; Simpson is just behind on 69. They clash again on tomorrow's Heroes Day card.
