Orville Clarke, Freelance Wrtiter
THE grey WILD AND RESTLESS proved elusive at Caymanas Park yesterday, winning the 1400 metres co-feature for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) trophy in convincing fashion.
A rare winner for the sparingly used jockey Chris Fearon, WILD AND RESTLESS was ridden to dispute the lead with 8-5 favourite INDIAN RAJA and 3-1 chance RAJMIR under champion jockey Andrew Ramgeet.
But by the time they reached the half mile, Fearon had sent the 9-2 chance WILD AND RESTLESS into the lead.
He turned for home some two lengths clear of INDIAN RAJA and when asked to tighten the screws, the six-year-old gelding by Re-De-Slew out of Ceasefire quickened into a clear lead passing the furlong pole, leaving INDIAN RAJA and RAJMIR to fight it out for second in the field of six.
At the post, WILD AND RESTLESS had 3 1/2 lengths to spare over INDIAN RAJA who in turn held off RAJMIR by a neck.
WILD AND RESTLESS is owned by Test Pilots and trained by Roy Jackson, his 13th winner so far this season. It was the gelding's second win from 16 starts this year.
Earlier on the 12-race programme, which marked the first leg of the two-day Independence Carnival which continues tomorrow with the running of the Prime Minister's Stakes, AWESOME MINISTER made most with Ramgeet astride to win the $500,000 Keeling Memorial Cup Grade Stakes over 1100 metres for native bred two-year-olds, race number one in the Stallion Stakes series.
Running at odds of 6-5 in the field of four, the highly fancied GOINGTOKANSASCITY being a late non-starter having gone lame, AWESOME MINISTER won by five lengths from the Feanny-trained pair of MEZZULUNA and RAKKADASH, the odds on favourite with title chasing jockey Shane Ellis aboard.
AWESOME MINISTER, who was fitted with the tongue tie for the first time, is owned by Larry Heffes and trained by Jose' Pinchin. The chestnut colt by Royal Minister out of Awesome Wonder has now won three races from five starts, including the Red Stripe Cradle Stakes on Derby Day, June 10.
The day's outstanding performance was turned in by the Feanny-trained American colt PERSONAL NEMESIS in the Starter Handicap 1 & 11 over 1100 metres.
Going wire to wire under leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths, PERSONAL NEMESIS who shouldered topweight of 57.0kg won by 5 1/2 lengths from stable-companion NEFTENGA, covering the distance in the very smart time of 1:05.3. This was almost three seconds faster than the time returned by AWESOME MINISTER over the same distance a hour earlier.
Later in the afternoon, another imported horse, RATIFIED, just failed to catch the Feanny-trained WYLE COYOTE in the 1200 metres Overnight Allowance race, this after suffering interference on the inside at the half mile and losing valuable ground under topweight in the seven-horse field. She came back courageously in the closing stages, only to be denied by a short head by 9-5 chance WYLE COYOTE who made all under Percy Williams.
Feanny and Rudolph Hardial (Colony Belle, Scorpion) shared the training honours with two winners each.
On a day when veteran 'Hall of Fame' trainer Eileen Cliggott celebrated her birthday, jockeys Devon A. Thomas (Pfeiffer), Devon S. Thomas (Crimson Tide) and Andrew Thomas (Briana's Princess) all won races on the card.
