- IAN ALLEN/Staff Photographer
Four-time champion jockey Charles Hussey (right) explains to many-time champion trainer Philip Feanny just how he won the $1.2 million UBA Gold Cup feature aboard A KING IS BORN at Caymanas Park yesterday, ahead of stable-companion and favourite DISTINCTLY IRISH in a star-studded field of 12.
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
REIGNING 'HORSE of the Year' A KING IS BORN upstaged his younger half brother and stable companion DISTINCTLY IRISH at Caymanas Park yesterday to win the 33rd running of the United Bookmakers Association (UBA) Gold Cup for top-class horses over 1400 metres.
Offering odds of 3-1 in a star-studded field of 12, the speedy four-year-old chestnut colt by Royal Minister out of the 1990 Guineas and Derby winner Distinctly Native, stormed through from off the pace in uncharacteristic fashion to catch the classy three-year-old gelding DISTINCTLY IRISH, the 3-2 favourite, well inside the last furlong, winning by a length.
Both horses are trained by 13-time champion Philip Feanny for popular owner Howard Hamilton and bred by Ken Gooden.
For Hamilton it was a day he will long remember as he had the pleasure of seeing his two horses, both Derby winners, finishing one/two in this valuable grade one handicap contested by what was perhaps the best field assembled for a major sponsored race in many years.
SHOT AT CHAMPS
After stating some months ago that A KING IS BORN and DISTINCTLY IRISH will 'never meet', Hamilton, out of necessity, had to enter both horses for the race in order to have a shot at the leader Ruth Hussey in the owners' championship.
But he just barely made it in time to Caymanas Park for the race, having been off the island since Monday attending a three-day international conference on racetrack improvement at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His flight arrived late and Hamilton said he came straight from the airport to Caymanas Park less than a hour before the race.
"It was worth it," declared Hamilton who is president of the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association (TOBA). "Seeing my horses finish first and second in such an important race like the Gold Cup is an owner's dream. Still, I must say I was confident that I would run one/two," he said.
"It played out in the order I anticipated ... I wanted The King to win because, as I said in the past, he is my favourite horse."
STEADY HEADWAY
Held up in midfield by Hussey as the fleet-footed imported colt LIL'COUNTRY BOY (15-1), ridden by Shane Ellis for outgoing champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, led narrowly from ROYAL MALICE, COURT CASE and DISTINCTLY IRISH under leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths racing prominently on the inside, A KING IS BORN made steady headway to straighten several lengths off the pace in fourth.
At this stage, LIL'COUNTRY BOY had raced into a clear lead over DISTINCTLY IRISH taking dead aim leaving the quarter pole.
DISTINCTLY IRISH eventually got on terms early in the last furlong and quickly disposed of 'COUNTRY BOY'. Although looking the likely winner at this stage, the 2004 Derby and Superstakes winner was denied the 'grand slam' by top weight A KING IS BORN who fairly flew on the stands' side in deep stretch to lead over the last 100 metres, even though drifting out off a true line up the lane.
Feanny made a clean sweep of the first three places when two-time Gold Cup winner I'MSATISFIED (7-2) stayed on for third, enabling three of the past five Derby winners to occupy the first three places, while the recent Red Stripe Caribbean Sprint champion JACK DE PRINCE (7-2) under top jockey Trevor Simpson was fourth.
Winning rider Hussey said: "The trainer said I didn't have to lead so I followed his instructions to the letter. We knew Lil'Country Boy would be coming hell for leather. Even Ray Charles could see that. So it was best to come from off the pace.
"In the straight he began to drift out to the stands. But I didn't even bother to try and straighten him out as he was going so well it was hardly necessary."
Feanny also added his two cents worth: "The plan was to ride A King Is Born from off the pace and it worked. But I thought Distinctly Irish ran an excellent race considering that the number two draw on the inside killed him. He had to take a pull when the horses came down at one stage and eventually switch to the outside."
HARRY JACKSON MEMORIAL CUP
Feanny, now assured of a 14th trainers' title, was quick to point out that DISTINCTLY IRISH will be back for the Harry Jackson Memorial Cup over 2400 metres on Boxing Day.
Meanwhile, the well supported 12-race programme proved a nightmare for form players thanks to a number of upsets. Chief among them were the lightly raced 2-y-o filly LISA'S RIGG who won the sixth race in post-to-post fashion at gigantic odds of 71-1 for trainer Dennis Lee, and the 2003 Oaks winner NAUGHTY BY NATURE at 17-1 in the eighth race for overnight allowance horses.
