Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
Apprentice Rayan Wilson raises his whip in triumph en route to the winners' enclosure as he marks his first career win aboard 3-1 chance CORDITE at Caymanas Park on Saturday. CORDITE won the eighth race, run over 1400 metres in muddy conditions caused by mid-afternoon showers. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Following on the heels of top horse QUIET STRENGTH, 14-time cham-pion trainer Philip Feanny lost another talented horse when KINGSTONIAN died from gripe complications in his stall early Saturday morning.
Significantly, both KINGS-TONIAN and QUIET STRENGTH were conditioned by the same groom, Milton McDonald.
Sparingly raced, KINGSTO-NIAN came back from a 13-month absence on August 19 to win easily in overnight allowance company over the straight five course with champion jockey Brian Harding astride.
That marked his fifth con-secutive win and his sixth from only nine career starts and total stakes of $1.49 million.
Bred by HAM Stables Limited, the four-year-old chestnut colt by Alisios out of Miss Valid Journey raced in the familiar yellow and red hooped silks of popular owner Joseph 'Fudgie' Duany who is also the owner of reigning 'Horse of the Year', MIRACLE MAN.
Duany described KINGSTO-NIAN's death as "a sad loss" as the plan was to win the Red Stripe Caribbean Sprint with him in November and the Red Stripe Superstakes with MIRACLE MAN.
"All now a feel it," confessed Duany. "He had won five races in a row and them wasn't going to beat him this year.
"He was sidelined by a chipped bone for 13 months and I was so happy when he came back to win effortlessly earlier this month, only to hear over the weekend that he was dead," said the distraught owner.
Meanwhile, another recent winner, GOLDEN LEAP, collapsed and died at exercise yesterday morning.
The American 3-y-o filly from the stables of champion trainer Wayne DaCosta had just com-pleted a five-furlong gallop in 1:01.2 and was being pulled up by her rider Dane Nelson, when she collapsed in the region of the 6 1/2-furlong point of the course.
