Madura Gold wins feature at 5-1

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

MADURA GOLD, running at the generous odds of 5-1 under leading jockey Dane Nelson, outfinished old rival JUSTIN ON FIRE to win the ninth running of the Howard Phillipps Memorial Trophy (non-winners of three) over 1100 metres, feature event at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Trained by Oneil Markland for owner Michael Howard, the four-year-old colt by Lil' Country Boy out of Formally Gold won by 1¹/² lengths from JUSTIN ON FIRE (2-1), while in third place another 2¹/² lengths away was the 3-2 favourite HERMOSO AMIGO.

Never far off the pace as HERMOSO AMIGO led narrowly from JUSTIN ON FIRE, MADURA GOLD mounted his challenge between horses a furlong out.

Bred by the Orange Valley Estates Limited, MADURA GOLD thus made amends for his near miss on January 28 when failing by a neck to catch WINCHESTER over 1200 metres, a race in which JUSTIN ON

FIRE finished a close fourth.

Trainer Markland said his original intent was to replace Nelson with his claiming apprentice Arthur Budhu, but quickly woke up to the idea that

Nelson was the man for the job.

"I thought he rode an overconfident race when narrowly beaten by Winchester," said the trainer, "so I told him to get the horse rolling much earlier, and when I saw him on the heels of the leaders entering the straight, I knew it was all over," added Markland. MADURA GOLD has now won three races from 28 career starts with stakes of $1.8 million.

On what turned out to be a tough day for form players, thanks to upsets by VONALMIGHTY (12-1), NOTUS and KOMPRESSOR, both at 7-1, the day's secondary feature for the James B. Dawes Memorial Cup over 1300 metres provided an easy victory for 8-5 favourite ELOPING EMMA, ridden by apprentice Michael Grant for owner/trainer Dennis Pryce.

'Hall of Famer' Winston Griffiths emerged the leading rider with two winners on the eight-race programme.