Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
THE curtain came down on the popular Craven 'A' Claiming Championship series over 1300 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday with in-form BRUT running out an easy winner for series topping trainer Ryan Darby.
Going off at the rather generous odds of 7-1 in a maximum field of 16, BRUT was driven into the lead by apprentice Larris Allen early in the straight and moved away to win by 2 3/4 lengths from the fast-finishing 17-1 chance LUCKI PLUCKI and SLEW THEM RANNY at 9-1.
The betting made GINGER ROGERS a marginal favourite at 2-1 over MIGHTY JOE YOUNG also at 2-1, but both horses faded in the straight to finish out of the money.
It was the 50-1 outsider SALSA who led in tearaway fashion from GINGER ROGERS, WILL YOU MARRY ME and MUTUAL AGREEMENT with BRUT not far off the pace.
WILL YOU MARRY ME turned for home with MUTUAL AGREEMENT, BRUT and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG looming large, but it was the lightly weighted BRUT who effortlessly surged ahead approaching the distance, then kept on strongly for an emphatic victory, his third from his last six starts.
An 8-y-o dark bay gelding by French Champagne out of Tiger Lily, BRUT is owned by Derrick Darby, a cousin of winning trainer Ryan Darby.
Robert Darby, father of Ryan and the man who taught him the ropes before the youngster obtained a trainer's licence in 1998, was on hand to accept the trophy on behalf of Derrick Darby with Ryan by his side. It was truly a family affair.
Ryan thus topped the trainers' category in the nine-race series with 91 points, clear of Eraldo Fullerton in second. Both trainers saddled two horses each for the race, Darby posting BRUT and the unplaced topweight MUTUAL AGREEMENT, while Fullerton saddled fourth placed SCOUT MASTER (40-1) and CAPTAIN JACQUES (50-1) who was unplaced.
Darby won for himself the $150,000 bonus offered by the Cigarette Company of Jamaica Limited, while Fullerton earned a cool $100,000 for second. Darby also brought home Carlton "Chin" Russell, groom of both BRUT and MUTUAL AGREEMENT. His reward - $100,000 for topping the grooms' category, while Fullerton's patrons, the Kool One (Scout Master, Captain Jacque) easily topped the owners' category which offers a whopping $250,000 bonus. Apprentice Ramon Parish won the jockeys' category by a wide margin even though sitting out the last day of five-day suspension yesterday. Parish capped $125,000.
So 26-year-old Ryan Darby and his crew almost swept the Craven 'A' series. His father could not help commenting: "Ryan is way ahead of his peers at this stage and I am extremely proud of him.
"He has learnt well and is determined to succeed. I think he has shown the application and dedication as a young trainer to go places in the years ahead. After all, he's a chip off the old block", declared the one-time Claiming King.
Meanwhile, Philip Feanny who is on course to win his 12th championship with more than $30 million, bettered his 1991 record of most wins in a season when NEFTENGA provided him with his 87th in the 'A1' straight five.
Ridden by in-form visiting jockey Wesley Henry, NEFTENGA (5-2) was outpaced in the five-horse field, but produced a devastating burst of speed in the last furlong to sweep past the favourite SPECTACULAR RUN in deep stretch, winning by 2 3/4 lengths.
Feanny followed up in the very next race when 4-5 favourite PALMETTO XPRESS obliged over 1500 metres with Charles Hussey up. Henry and Simon Husbands rode two winners each, Husbands rounding off the double aboard the vastly improved 3-y-o filly SPEED FREAK who won her third consecutive race for trainer Kenneth Mattis in the 10th over the circular nine course.
