Racing beats Melissa to the punch

CAYMANAS PARK again stared an impending weather system into the eye and got through 10 races, MAIN MISTRESS and MR SENATOR winning the divided Announcers’ Trophy, before battening down ahead of Hurricane Melissa, forecast to cut across the island, possibly at category-four strength on Tuesday.

Solomon Sharpe, chairman Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited, said the promoting company prepared for the meet with one eye on the weather forecast and the other on horsemen’s welfare.

“We have a unique agricultural business. We have to give horsemen every possible but safe chance to earn purse money. Not only horsemen need to earn. Caymanas Park is also a unique ecosystem in the Portmore community on which many sub-industries rely on a racemeet for day-to-day viability,” Sharpe explained.

“We kept watching the forecast, which said the weather would have been friendly. We stuck to the forecast and got a good day. It’s now left to be seen what happens in the next few days,” the SVREL chairman added, pointing out that preparation for the passage of Hurricane Melissa was long activated at the 196-acre property.

“Preparations to batten down for the hurricane have been ongoing. We have been working around the clock, cleaning drains and all we have to do,” Sharpe assured, but warned that flooding was a given at the racetrack, which is surrounded by the communities of Meadowvale, Caymanas Gardens, Independence City, Gregory Park, and Waterford.

At least one neighbouring community has a storm water run-off into Caymanas Park.

Meanwhile, United States-bred MAIN MISTRESS, partnered by six-time champion jockey Omar Walker, took division one of the Announcers’ Trophy by the scruff of the neck as a 4-5 favourite, quickly taking control of the six-and-a-half-furlong event from rail-running COOKIE DAY N NIGHT, who stubbornly held second to the wire from the looking pair of HUNTSMAN and OIL MACHINE.

MR SENATOR won division two with a smooth rail run from the three pole under claiming rider Eric Haughton, grabbing the lead from United States-bred FINAL LOAD, who led under pressure from 2-5 favourite ZULU WARRIOR, both skating wide off the home turn.

ZULU WARRIOR was afterwards turned down inside by champion and leading rider, Raddesh Roman, recovering ground in a rally against the rail. However, the damage was already done, no catching the staying grey, MR SENATOR, formerly owned by the late Don Wehby, claimed for $1 million in July by the champion pair of trainer Jason DaCosta and owner Carlton Watson.

DaCosta, who got off the mark with two-year-old maiden FIDELITY in the fourth, shared training honours with per John Parsard, who saddled MAIN MISTRESS and earlier landed the sixth with RUM WITH ME at five furlongs straight.