Sharp Is That A Fact ready for Errol Subratie Memorial

IS THAT A FACT has been sharpened at exercise and looks ready to blow away overnight-allowance rivals at a mile in Saturday’s Errol Subratie Memorial.

Jason DaCosta’s flag-bearer in grade one last year, IS THAT A FACT beat ATOMICA in the Chairman’s Trophy, humbled BOOTYLICIOUS at five furlongs straight, strolled six furlongs in 1:12.2 against stablemate MADELYNS’s SUNSHINE, before losing the Gold Cup in a driving finish to stablemate FUNCAANDUN, who went on to win the US$250,000 Mouttet Mile two months later.

Before there was FUNCAANDUN, there was stablemate and fellow American IS THAT A FACT, who won four of eight starts as a three-year-old, afterwards taking on the best of the best and holding his own in grade one as a four-year-old last year, notching four victories from 11 outings, establishing himself as being among the top five local-based runners heading into the Mouttet Mile.

After watching IS THAT A FACT being torched by the pace of December’s Mouttet Mile, won by FUNCAANDUN, followed by January’s Eileen Cliggott Trophy in which PACK PLAYS toyed with ATOMICA, Jason DaCosta realised there was no George Jefferson ‘Moving On Up’ for IS THAT A FACT with a squadron of Florida invaders awaiting this season.

Returning off a four-month lay-up in May, IS THAT A FACT got his conditions permit to return among open-allowance runners, closing for third behind CHAMPION BUBBLER and PACK PLAYS in the way-too-short Reggae Trophy at five furlongs straight.

Since May’s Reggae Trophy, through the September 6 None Such Trophy, IS THAT A FACT raced on six occasions, each race won by a horse, who had placed among the top six in the Mouttet Mile.

Before playing possum behind stablemate MAMMA MIA chasing SUPERNATURAL POWER at seven furlongs on September 13, IS THAT A FACT, had placed third and second, respectively, in races won by FUNCAANDUN and LEGACY ISLE, the Mouttet MIle winner and runner-up.

Returning to overnight allowance, the lowest level he has raced in almost two years, IS THAT A FACT showed glimpses of what awaits this year’s Oaks winner, LINGUIST, as well as his own stablemate, I DREAM AGAIN, the St Leger and Derby winner, who plodded in last behind UNSPUN in the Typewriter Trophy on September 28.

DaCosta has summoned a claiming rider, Shaheem Gordon, docking IS THAT A FACT to 117lb, nine lighter than stablemate INTRESTNTIMESAHEAD. IS THAT A FACT is also in receipt of four pounds from last year’s Derby runner-up, the filly RUN JULIE RUN, who hasn’t appeared to be all that keen in two races since losing to FUNCAANDUN at nine furlongs and 25 yards in June.

His back class aside, IS THAT A FACT lit up the exercise track with his best workouts in months, seven furlongs in 1:27.0, last Sunday morning.