By Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer 
ALL ALONE: Leading all-time jockey Winston 'Fanna' Griffiths pushes out the unbeaten favourite DISTINCTLY IRISH to win the 84th running of the Red Stripe Jamaica Derby over 2400 metres by the resounding margin of 14 1/2 lengths at Caymanas Park yesterday. Owned by Hamark Farms, trained by Philip Feanny and bred by Ken Gooden, DISTINCTLY IRISH provided Grffiths with his 1500th win locally in a career spanning 29 years. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
THE UNBEATEN 3-y-o gelding, DISTINCTLY IRISH, emerged the easiest Derby winner in the 45-year history of Caymanas Park when powering home by 14-1/2 lengths in the 84th running of the premier classic before a capacity crowd yesterday.
Installed a 1-5 favourite in a field of nine native bred three-year-olds, DISTINCTLY IRISH not only provided leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths with his 10th Derby winner and his third in succession, but his 1,500th winner at Caymanas Park in a career spanning 29 years.
Griffiths, who has long been the English-speaking Caribbean's winningest all-time rider since assuming the lead from the Barbadian veteran Venice Richards some years ago, notched his 1,000th win aboard EROS in the Caribbean Sprint on November 13, 1993. Significantly, both the Derby and Caribbean Sprint are sponsored by Red Stripe.
If that wasn't enough, the gelding's owner, Howard Hamilton of Hamark Farms, also created history, becoming the first owner to win back-to-back Derbies at Caymanas Park following A KING IS BORN last year.
EARLY LEADER
Ridden to chase the early leader RUN PAPA RUN (4-1) under champion jockey Trevor Simpson passing the stands for the first time at which stage the 77-1 outsider FLYWITHME raced close up in third followed by the Guineas and Oaks winner LATONIA, DISTINCTLY IRISH joined 'PAPA' at the halfway stage and went by at the half mile.
Thereafter, it was only a matter of how far.
Coasting into the home turn some three lengths clear of RUN PAPA RUN and the Charles Hussey-ridden LOCHNESS DRAGON (14-1), DISTINCTLY IRISH quickly went into overdrive early in the straight.
Moving like a jet he soon put daylight between himself and the others, galloping past the furlong pole some 10 lengths clear and only having to be shown the right hand stick by Griffiths to win by the proverbial city block.
The winner's little fancied stable-companion, STEROFABULOUS, running at odds of 96-1 under bustling Leo Miller, came from a long way off the pace to finish second. Both are trained by Philip Feanny who was posting his 10th Derby winner, seven of these in tandem with Griffiths.
It was Feanny's 38th classic win, an unprecedented feat for the 13-time champion trainer. Third went to the 14-1 chance LOCHNESS DRAGON and fourth to the 86-1 outsider URAM.
For Griffiths it was a double celebration, but the man who has ridden winners of major races than any other jockey locally took it in stride as usual.
MADE MOVE
"It's all in a day's work," he said. "I didn't want to give Run Papa Run a chance to get away so I tracked him from early. And when I made my move at the half mile and raced clear, it was only a matter of how far he would win."
Griffiths ranks DISTINCTLY IRISH as one of the best Derby winners he has ridden. However, he was quick to point out that ROYAL DAD (1981) was special.
"That was my first Derby winner and he also went on to win the first Triple Crown at Caymanas Park," he fondly recalls.
Bred by Ken Gooden who is also the breeder of last year's winner A KING IS BORN, DISTINCTLY IRISH, who is unbeaten in six starts, is a bay gelding by Irish Quest out of the 1990 1000 Guineas and Derby Winner Distinctly Native.
