Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterNEWLY CROWNED 'Horse of the Year' MIRACLE MAN made a triumphant return to Caymanas Park yesterday when staving off FORMALLY GOLD by three-quarters of a length in the Eros Trophy graded stakes feature over 1400 metres.
Racing for the first time since his fast-time, runaway victory in the November 12 Red Stripe Superstakes, the 4-y-o chestnut colt, who on Thursday night was named 'Horse of the Year' at the None Such Awards dinner at the Hilton Hotel, was ridden by Florida-based Jamaican jockey Allen 'Bungo John' Maragh, his customary pilot.
LEAD FIELD
Sent off the 3-2 second favourite, MIRACLE MAN made virtually all in a field of six. He led narrowly from the howling 1-2 favourite and top weight, CLOCK WORK under four-time champion jockey Charles Hussey, for the first half of the race before opening up a bit approaching the 600-metre marker.
With top weight CLOCK WORK having to be hard ridden approaching the home turn and his well-backed stable-companion FORMALLY GOLD outpaced in the backstretch after a sluggish start, MIRACLE MAN raced clear from early in the straight.
Although tiring a bit in the last furlong, he survived a terrific late run on the outside from the American-bred mare FORMALLY with leading jockey Wesley Henry astride.
SEVENTH WIN
By Law Of The Sea out of Hya, MIRACLE MAN posted his seventh win from only 11 career starts. He is trained by veteran 'Hall of Famer' Allan 'Billy' Williams for popular owner Joseph 'Fudgie' Duany who said he was pretty confident of winning this race, despite the presence of CLOCK WORK who beat him by 7 3/4 lengths at the same weights when they previously met over 1500 metres on October 5 last year.
"Right now he's a different horse," Duany emphasised. "They said Clock Work was about to take over the mantle from A King Is Born, but they were talking about the wrong horse."
Meanwhile, SEATTLE'S GIRL, running at odds of 7-2 with former champion jockey Trevor Simpson aboard, came through early in the straight to win the inaugural running of the $1 million King's Plate (open allowance) over 1500 metres by 3 3/4 lengths from long-time leader MEDICAL REPORT.
The American four-year-old filly is trained by Dwight Chen for TOBA president Howard Hamilton who donated the trophy in honour of his now retired racer, A KING IS BORN - the 2003 'Horse of the Year'.
