| Race Day Review Day 19 Saturday 19th May 2012 | ||||
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ARIMA RACE CLUB RACE DAY REVIEW DAY 19 SATURDAY 19th MAY 2012
Smart American gets back on track
SMART AMERICAN became the second horse to score for the fourth time this year when horse racing continued at Santa Rosa Park, Arima.The American-bred four-year-old cruised home by 2 ¼ lengths in the feature event of only the third ten-race card of the season.After finishing ahead of Smart American in their last two clashes, favourite King Whistler ended up second in the 1.100-metre contest for 90-70 rated horses, while Wild Shuffle and Fly Junior rounded out the top four, respectively.Wild Shuffle is owned by former Arima Race Club (ARC) president Wendell Kangaloo, whose Perfection Plus is the only other horse to score as many as four times after 19 days of racing for the season.Both of them have completed hat-tricks and Smart American was actually in winners’ enclosure the first three times he faced the starter this year before cooling off in his last two.But he was allowed an uncontested lead this time and never received a serious challenge in the season event, the first of five races which were switched to the main course because of a waterlogged turf track.
It was Preakness Stakes day in Maryland, USA, and it should be noted that Smart American’s sire Smarty Jones had won the second leg of the American triple crown at Pimlico race course in 2004. Smart American, claimed by Harold Chadee from Shivam Maharaj after he turned in his maidens’ certificate on January 2, just managed to keep the owner/trainer ahead of Maharaj at the top of the owners’ standings this year. The veteran has now been successful of 17 occasions, but the defending champion is now just one winner behind after trailing by almost ten lengths early in the season. Maharaj opened proceedings with victory No. 15 when Gone For Six finally turned in his maidens’ certificate in a 1,200-metre event which involved seven imported maidens. The son of Gone West was by far the most experienced and consistent runner in the field and he prevailed by 1 ½ lengths as the 7/5 favourite. Maharaj’s colours were again on show in the penultimate race when his recently-acquired Fearghas finally got off the mark on the 12 attempt in the 1,200-metre contest for locally-bred four-year-old and over maidens.
The purchase of the son of Big Country was so recent that breeder Zanim Meah-John was still listed as the owner in the racing programme. Maharaj was not the only person to been successful twice during the afternoon as the U & N Stables, Lester Alexis, John O’Brien, Brian Boodramsingh and Nicholas Patrick also had doubles. Owner U & N Stables, trainer Alexis and jockey Patrick combined to score with Lookin At Lovely and Indian King in 1,100 metre events. Just four horses were involved in the third race and Lookin At Lovely was the longest price on the board at 6/1 because the contest was switched off the turf. But the Jamaican-bred four-year-old took to the dirt like a duck to water and turned in the most impressive performance of the day in her first appearance on the surface in a long time to slam her three 60-40 rated rivals by 6 ¼ lengths. The inconsistent Indian King, who had finished in the money just once in his last six outings, out-dueled heavy favourite Will Power in the homestretch to take the $8,000-$4,000 claimer by a length.
It was the third time in the last four starts that Will Power had to settle for the runner-up spot. The three-time winner had in fact dead-headed with Hey Big Fella for victory in the first of the three, but was demoted in the opening race of the Easter Monday (April 9) card. Champion trainer O’Brien and stable jockey Boodramsingh, the 2010 champion apprentice who graduated and finished at the top of the class in the jockeys’ standings last year, teamed up for their double strike. They started right off the bat with Gone For Six and were then successful in the eighth race when the Cecil Camacho-owned Charming Lass turned in a mighty impressive performance on debut to dismiss a bunch of West Indian-bred three-year-old maidens by 3 ½ lengths. Cassi’s Gold, another first-time starter, finished third in the 1,100-metre contest, just behind Cordell Walker and in front of Rest Assured, the two most experienced runners in the full house of 16.
And on the topic of doubles, Lady Sage prevailed for the second time in succession when she stepped up in class and the surprised the 55-35 rated horses by 2 ½ lengths over 1,750 metres. This American-bred six-year-old had been racing unsuccessfully in 40 & lower company until only a month before, but has not now scored three times in her last four starts after just once from her first 36. Raise Your Glass was the outstanding favourite, but after a tame fifth-place effort, owner Deo Maharaj may now be having second thoughts about running the Jamaican-bred chestnut in the Midsummer Classic. This Grade I 1,900-metre event for West Indian-bred three-year-olds is the second leg of the triple crown and will be the feature attraction during the 20th round of the Arima Race Club’s 2012 Season next week Wednesday (May 30).
The Santa Rosa Dash, a 1,200-metre Grade II contest for the top class horses, will also be part of the Indian Arrival Day menu. As usual, Carib Brewery Limited will sponsor the day.
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 May 2012 12:43 ) |