Sat | Nov 29, 2025

DaCosta responds to closing Nunes with two-timer

Published:Wednesday | September 21, 2022 | 12:11 AMAinsley Walters/Gleaner Writer
SILENT MISSION (right), ridden by Omar Walker, wins the ninth race over six furlongs round, a three-year-old and upwards Restricted Allowance Stakes race, at Caymanas Park yesterday
Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer
SILENT MISSION (right), ridden by Omar Walker, wins the ninth race over six furlongs round, a three-year-old and upwards Restricted Allowance Stakes race, at Caymanas Park yesterday

STAKES-LEADER JASON DaCosta responded to champion trainer Anthony Nunes’ eight winners in three meets with a two-timer on Tuesday, opening and closing the rescheduled nine-race card with favourites THEGOODLIFE and SILENT MISSION, respectively.

Nunes, the three-time defending champion, who rallied on the final day of last season to narrowly deny DaCosta, started yesterday trailing by $3.3m in stakes, significantly cutting the deficit with which he had started September.

THEGOODLIFE made all in the opening event at odds of 8-5 with Christopher Mamdeen, fending off STICKYDON down the backstretch before staying on strongly ahead of HIJO PRIMERO by a half-length at six furlongs.

Nunes’ attempt to cancel his rival’s curtain-raiser winner fell flat when EL CID, down among $750,000 claimers in the fifth event, proved no match for six-year-old gelding BLOOD FIRE, who beat the three-year-old by five and a half lengths at seven furlongs.

DaCosta, replacing jockey Anthony Thomas with six-time top jock Omar Walker aboard SILENT MISSION, proved decisive in the closing event after the defending champion jockey’s recent fourth-place finish aboard the filly.

Unlike Thomas, who got caught too far off the pace and ended up in trouble off the home turn after a spill against the rail, Walker had the Portmore and 1000 Guineas third-place runner early down the backstretch, racing in the catbird seat, behind a tight group of leaders, before pouncing between rivals at the top of the stretch run.

Walker also made a snap decision, which paid off inside the final half-furlong, resisting the lure of trying to split THIRTYONEKISSES and A GIFT FROM BEN, instead angling SILENT MISSION to the rail where the filly was able to lengthen her strides and go by the battling pair without getting caught in tight quarters.

ALEXA’S SECRET came charging between THIRTYONEKISSES and A GIFT FROM BEN but Walker kept SILENT MISSION going along the rail to win by a neck at odds of 4-5.

Racing continues at Caymanas Park on Saturday.