- Winston Sill, Staff Photographer
RAKKADASH, ridden by five-time champion jockey Winston Griffiths, pulls clear of rivals to win the Pringle Cup feature (Starter Handicap II and Overnight Allowance) at Caymanas Park yesterday. The much improved 4-y-o gelding is owned by Joseph Duany and trained by outgoing champion Philip Feanny.
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
VASTLY IMPROVED RAKKADASH made amends for his unplaced effort behind stable-companion I'MSATISFIED in the November 9 Red Stripe Caribbean Sprint with an emphatic victory in yesterday's Pringle Cup feature over 1100 metres at Caymanas Park.
Ridden by leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths for owner Joseph Duany and champion trainer Philip Feanny, RAKKADASH, a 2-5 favourite in a field of five, won by three lengths from 7-2 chance SELENA MYSTIQUE with third going to AWESOME MINISTER at 6-1.
It was highly fancied MICHELKA under outgoing champion jockey Charles Hussey who led from the No. 1 post position, but she was quickly joined by the fleet-footed AWESOME MINISTER with Larris Allen up.
Both raced neck and neck ahead ahead of RAKKADASH and SELENA MYSTIQUE who was outpaced a bit, before MICHELKA went ahead of AWESOME MINISTER from the 600-metre point at which stage RAKKADASH was hard ridden to advance on the outside.
Despite being carried very wide by AWESOME MINISTER at the home turn, RAKKADASH came back strongly on the outside approaching the distance. He caught up with the leaders, MICHELKA and SELENA MYSTIQUE, early in the last furlong and quickly disposed of both to win in the fairly good time of 1:06.2.
Bred by the Y.S. (1955) Limited, RAKKADASH, who shouldered topweight of 57kg, has now won four of his past five races, including a record equalling track record run of 56.3 over the straight five course when lifting the G.A. "Sarge" Bucknor Memorial Cup on October 12.
Owner "Fudgie" Duany was impressed by this performance and feels the 4-y-o bay gelding by Exotic Traveler out of Forsaken is ready for the top class.
"He lost a significant amount of ground when carried wide into the straight and still won by three lengths," Duany said.
"This was a really smart performance and there's no telling how far he can go in his present frame of mind," said the popular owner. "He must surely be the most improved horse in training."
Earlier in the afternoon, JOHNNY'S KING made all in the day's two-year-old co-feature race for the Royal Lancaster Trophy over the round five course.
One of two winners for former champion jockey Wesley Henry on the card, JOHNNY'S KING (3-5) was chased relentlessly by DUE RESPECT in the field of five, but found extra over the final 200 metres to hold him at bay, then had enough to thwart a late run from the 3-5 marginal favourite TO SIR WITH LOVE (Charles Hussey up) who could be deemed a shade unlucky, having suffered interference on the inside shortly after the start and losing valuable round in the process.
JOHNNY'S KING won by a length from TO SIR WITH LOVE with DUE RESPECT another head away third. There was a Stewards' Inquiry but the result was allowed to stand. The winner, a dark bay colt by America's Pal out of Grady's Testamony, is owned and bred by Steve Budhoo and trained by Noel Ennevor.
Meanwhile, jockey Clive Lynch rode three winners on the 11-race programme to emerge the day's top performer. His winners were the unbeaten SHOWDOWN at 6-5 in the second, AWRY also at 6-5 in the seventh and TIME AND AGAIN who romped home in the ninth as the 4-5 favourite.
Lynch, who rode two winners on Friday, pushed his season's tally to 43 to hold down third in the jockey's standing, led by record chasing Trevor Simpson who moved to 154 after notching one winner in FLYING TIGER.
Simpson only needs 14 more winners to break Geeorge HoSang's all-time seasonal record set in 1974. And leading trainer Wayne DaCosta posted two winners in FLYING TIGER (2-5) and THAT'S GOLD (13-1) to be three adrift of a landmark 100 winners in a season.
