By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterROYAL RUN sent his stocks soaring for the upcoming Red Stripe Superstakes with an emphatic victory over old rival HERECOMESFUDGIE in the million-dollar Governor General's Stakes over 2000 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Installed a 4-5 favourite with
champion jockey Trevor Simpson riding for leading trainer Wayne DaCosta, ROYAL RUN powered home by 2-1/4 lengths under topweight of 57.0kg to chalk up his fifth win from nine starts this season.
Come November 8, he will be gunning to go one better after finishing
second to MENUDO in last year's Superstakes over the same distance. Since then he has not finished worse than second in 11 consecutive races.
Held up in fourth position in the
five-strong field as stable-companion YOUNG FOR ALL (16-1) and SATISFIER (3-1) hooked up on the lead in a prolonged duel, ROYAL RUN started his winning run leaving the half-mile.
At this stage, highly fancied HERCOMESFUDGIE, who had chased the leaders for the first 1200 metres, was sent through by leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths. But by the time they reached the final bend, ROYAL RUN was right on his heels.
A brief duel ensued between the two from early in the straight before ROYAL RUN gained the ascendancy approaching the distance. Shaken up by Simpson, the consistent four-year-old gelding by Royal Minister out of Run Marisa Run lengthened his strides impressively leaving the furlong pole to put the issue beyond doubt.
This was the second time in recent months that ROYAL RUN was leading home the Philip Feanny trained 3-y-o gelding HERECOMESFUDIE. However, in the first instance on August 6 in the Prime Minister's Stakes over the same distance, ROYAL RUN was disqualified and placed second and the race awarded to HERECOMESFUDGIE with whom he had interfered a furlong out.
Yesterday, ROYAL RUN made amends in no uncertain fashion, in the process establishing himself as the leading Super-stakes contender.
Despite winning, Simpson was booed by a section of the crowd en route to the winners' enclosure. The booing started immediately after the ninth race where his mount, the even-money favourite UNWANTED was beaten in a driving finish by the front running LITTLEREDRIDINGHOOD (2-1) with lightweight jockey Kerry Perry aboard.
Disgruntled turfites voiced their disapproval over Simpson's handling of UNWANTED by booing him on three separate occasions. However, the three-time champion jockey was not perturbed and replied to his critics the way he knows best winning the last two races aboard the stable-companions ROYAL RUN and PRIME FURY.
Simpson, in fact, emerged the day's most successful rider with three winners to push his season's tally to 87. His third winner was the 3-5 favourite LADY FAIZAH in the sixth race for maiden four-year-olds and up. In the day's secondary feature for the Caymanas Park 2-Y-O Sprint Trophy over 1200 metres, the hot favourite SEAGAR was humbled by the stretch running LATONIA (7-2), who is unbeaten in two starts.
One of two winners for hot jockey Shane Ellis, Barbadian owner Elias Haloute and trainer Anthony Nunes, the other being PITTACUIS, LATONIA won at odds of 7-2.
Meanwhile, BADBOYBIN (5-1) came through early in the straight to win the Knutsford Park Cup over 1200 metres for three-year-olds with Kenyatta Davis riding for trainer Dwight Chen.
After passing the post first in the Norman Manley Memorial Cup round five race, 2-1 favourite KING'S HIGHWAY (Richie Mitchell up) was disqualified and placed out of the frame for causing multiple interference when taking over the lead in the first 200 metres.
The race was awarded to 3-1 chance THAT'S GOLD, ridden by Paul Ramsay for trainer Gary Subratie.
