- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
The Admiral coasts in under jockey Ameth Robles to win yesterday's 1200-metre Magnum Tonic Wine Sprint feature race at Caymanas Park.
Ainsley Walters, Staff Reporter
THE ADMIRAL yesterday pulled rank at even-money on SHE'S A RANKING, slamming the Oaks-placed filly by almost four lengths in the 1200-metre Magnum Tonic Wine Sprint feature race at Caymanas Park.
Out for the first time in more than four months since debuting with an impressive eight-length win in early April, the Owen Sharpe-trained gelding hopped to the front under Panamanian jockey Ameth Robles and held SHE'S A RANKING at bay down the back stretch before moving away under a hand ride in the home run.
Again declared without a whip, the smart LAW OF THE SEA-RADIANCE offspring was never in danger of defeat, posting a snappy 1:12.2 in the three-year-old non-winners-of-two event while SHE'S A RANKING chased in vain under the whip with Clive Lynch aboard.
Unraced throughout the Classic season due to a setback, the gelding looks set to tackle non-winners-of-three before taking on older horses and the better three-year-olds at the back-end of the season.
"He had his problems and I decided to skip the Classics, be patient until he was 100 per cent," said Solomon Sharpe, assistant trainer and part owner of the classy gelding.
Bettors were speculative seeing THE ADMIRAL declared without a whip and installed SHE'S A RANKING second favourite at 6-5 with Percy Hussey's LA CHICA BONITA in at 5-2.
However, Robles put the issue beyond doubt, never allowing Lynch aboard SHE'S A RAKING within two lengths and coasted in three-and-a-half clear at the end. SHE'S A RANKING turned back BADBOYBIN's challenge in the stretch run to finish a clear second in the eight-horse field.
Champion trainer Wayne DaCosta had one winner on the afternoon, which took him past Philip Feanny in their stakes money race for the trainers' championship.
DaCosta landed the 1300-metre third race with owner Alex Haber's speedy American import, LIL' COUNTRY BOY, who made all under Winston Griffiths, winning in 1:18.1
The champion trainer fielded four runners in the five-horse field and closed the exacta with MEDIC ON BOARD. Of his other runners, THE SANDMAN, was fourth and RESTLESS WARRIOR fifth.
DaCosta runners earned $360,350 out of the event, pushing his Stakes to $17,697,500 this season, $349,200 clear of Feanny, who failed to field a runner yesterday.
Meanwhile, apprentice Paul Francis capitalised on jockey Wesley Henry's absence, joining the former champion rider on 41 winners for the season with victory aboard SEEMELATER in the 1600-metre eighth race under Robert Reid.
Both riders are way off suspended champion jockey Trevor Simpson, who tops the standings with 70 winners.
Henry, out of the saddle with the 'pink eye', watched from home as one of the mounts he was declared aboard, SUPREME POWER, ran away with the 1200-metre fifth race.
The day's sponsored promotion, the 'Magnum Millionaire Competition', saw Teneisha Blake winning the $1m grand prize, which was drawn live at the track.
