Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer
Responding to a bustling ride from in-form jockey Dane Nelson, WINNING MESSAGE stormed through in the closing stages to win race No. 1 in the CTL Claiming Series ($210,000 and less) over 1100 metres feature event at Caymanas Park, yesterday.
The 11-race programme marked the season's first mid-week card and, unlike last Saturday when form players experienced a rough time, as many as seven favourites were unsaddled in the winners' enclosure.
WINNING MESSAGE, despite winning two of his last three races, was installed a 5-2 second favourite to resume winning ways in the feature, as the betting made the unpredictable five-year-old gelding DOMINADOR an even-money favourite in a field of 10.
But DOMINADOR missed the break and was always left with too much to do, eventually passing the post seventh. However, he was promoted to fifth following the disqualification of second past the post UNQUESTIONABLE (6-1) and also the fifth horse, DIAMOND KING, for causing interference at the start and in the last furlong, respectively.
It was the fleet-footed HAFIFA (7-1) who led narrowly from DIAMOND KING, UNQUESTIONABLE and hat-trick seeker CELEBRATION TIME, with WINNING MESSAGE outpaced in sixth for the first 600 metres.
As they swung into the straight, DIAMOND KING and UNQUESTIONABLE came through as a team, with the latter gaining the ascendancy early in the last furlong and, interfering with DIAMOND KING in the process. By then, WINNING MESSAGE was finding his best strides and, under a torrid left hand stick, swept past UNQUESTIONABLE in the last 100 metres for a decisive win.
A nine-year-old bay horse by Missionary Ridge out of Her Cane, WINNING MESSAGE is owned by Kary Neale and trained by Robert Darby Sr.
"He was one of the fittest horses in the field and as such I was very confident he would win," said Darby. "He has now won three races since the start of the year an claimed out of this race for $210,000, has been a good servant to me," added the one-time Claiming King.
Meanwhile, leading jockey Shane Ellis chalked up his second triple in as many race days when booting home EVANDER at 5-2 in the second race, 3-4 favourite UNLEADED in the third and another 3-4 favourite, JACK N DBOX in the seventh race to push his season's tally to 13, four clear of closest rival Dane Nelson and five ahead of newly crowned champion, Omar Walker, who sat out a one-day suspension yesterday.
Gary Subratie saddled two winners in UNLEADED and JACK N DBOX, while the Richard Azan-trained ROMEZ (made most) won the knotty overnight allowance sprint in a driving finish from the subsequently disqualified CRUCIAL POINT (5-1), this at odds of 19-1 with apprentice Harriston Lewis aboard.
