Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterTHE TALENTED American four-year-old colt QUIET STRENGTH continued his relentless march to the top at Caymanas Park yesterday, ticking off his sixth consecutive victory in the St. Catherine Cup open allowance feature over 1,100 metres.
The betting made the fleet-footed American 6-y-o horse LIL' COUNTRY BOY, returning from a nine-month absence, a howling 2-5 favourite in the field of five.
Amid rumours that all was not right with him, 'COUNTRY BOY' was not the best away under leading jockey Charles Hussey and was soon staring at the back end of QUIET STRENGTH, who broke smartly with five-time champion jockey Trevor Simpson aboard.
Leading at a blistering pace, the quarter in a blazing 22.1 and the half mile in 45.4, QUIET STRENGTH in receipt of 4kg from top weight LIL' COUNTRY BOY, turned for home about two lengths clear of his hard-ridden opponent and quickly put paid to his chances by drawing clear approaching the distance, winning by three lengths in the good time of 1:05.4 on a slow surface.
CLOSED WELL
MUSICAL MAESTRO, running at odds of 18-1, closed well in the last furlong to beat a distressed looking COUNTRY BOY quite easily for second, while LA REINA was fourth.
QUIET STRENGTH is owned by Lakeland Farms and trained by 14-time champion Philip Feanny. This was the colt's seventh win from only nine career starts.
Meanwhile, former champion jockey Wesley 'Callaloo' Henry, who is making a determined bid to win a second title, highlighted the 11-race programme with three winners in the US-bred three-year-old debutante COMIN TRUE (7-2) in the third race, WILD ZONE at 8-5 in the sixth race over the straight five course and 4-5 favourite ROYAL COMMAND for trainer Richard Azan in the closing overnight allowance race at a mile.
Henry, who earlier this month chalked up a four-timer, pushed his season's tally to 19 to be joint leader with Hussey in the standings. Hussey rode one winner in the Wayne DaCosta-trained RIGMAROLE. while reigning champion Brian Harding is moving up the standings quite sharply to be on 10 winners, thanks to a double comprising favourites QUEEN TAMARA and ME LLAMO for his guv'nor, Anthony 'Baba' Nunes, who saddled three winners on the card. The trainer's other winner was COMIN TRUE.
22ND AND 23RD WINNERS
Champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, who is setting a warm pace at the top of the standings, saddled his 22nd and 23rd winners respectively in TWENTY NINE and RIGMAROLE.
Desmond Shand also posted two winners in the 3-y-o debutante JET SKI D'OR in Division II of the Percy Martin Memorial Cup, while jockey Dane Nelson booted home 7-2 chance FROMRUSSIAWITHLOVE (closing rapidly on rails in deep stretch) in race No. 3 in the CTL Claiming series over 1200 metres, to complete a double as well.
