Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

ROYAL IMAGE (Shane Ellis) is led back to the winner's enclosure by owner Elias Haloute (left) and Phillip Mosely, president of the Barbados Turf Club, after his easy victory in the Jamaica Licensed Bookmakers 2000 Guineas over 1600 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday. At left is winning owner. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

ALSAFRA AND ROYAL IMAGE won the season's first classics, the Jamaica Licensed Bookmakers 1000 and 2000 Guineas over 1,600 metres, in contrasting fashion, before a bumper crowd at Caymanas Park yesterday.

In the 1000 Guineas for native-bred three-year-old fillies, ALSAFRA, running at odds of 7-2 with visiting Trinidadian jockey Brian Harding, a two-time champion locally, won in a driving finish after a tremendous last furlong duel with 9-1 chance IT IS I under title-chasing jockey Shane Ellis.

Ellis came back a hour or so later to boot home the howling 1-2 favourite ROYAL IMAGE by three lengths from the previously unbeaten COMMANDER ZERO (Dane Nelson up) in the 2000 Guineas confined to colts and geldings.

This was billed as the 'mother of all' clashes between the brilliant ROYAL IMAGE from the stables of Anthony 'Baba' Nunes and the Wayne DaCosta-trained COMMANDER ZERO who was unbeaten in three starts, having won those races by a combined margin of 51 lengths.

With both horses turning for home on level terms, it appeared the stage was set for an epic duel between the two. But this hardly materialised as ROYAL IMAGE soon lengthened his strides to win going away in a field of eight, this after the previously unbeaten SUPER DAVE (4-1) had led in fast splits for the first 1,000 metres under leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths.

Three in a row

ROYAL IMAGE, who had previously romped the Prince Consort Trial Stakes over 1,400 metres in stakes' record time (1:24.3) on March 15, duly made it three in a row. Owned by Barbados-based Elias Haloute and bred by Argyll Farms Limited, the bay colt by Image Maker out of the 1993 Harry Jackson Memorial Cup winner Royal Grind has now won four races from six career starts.

Based on his two previous wins, Ellis said he was always confident that ROYAL IMAGE would win and he was not surprised that he was going away at the finish.

"This is an exceptional 3-y-o colt and when Commander Zero came alongside him entering the straight, it only served to bring out the killer instinct in him," Ellis said.

"He ran a bit off a true line early in the straight due to the heavy breeze, but I corrected him promptly and, responding to the right-hand stick, was cruising at the finish. I am happy to be associated with a horse as classy as Royal Image," said the 2000 champion jockey.

An elated Haloute, who saw his charge IT IS I lose narrowly in the fillies Guineas, said: "I have a special horse again and it is my hope that he succeeds where Terremoto failed by winning the triple crown."

In 1998, TERREMOTO won the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, but failed to win the triple crown when beaten by the Ken Mattis-rained filly MY LADY SILK in the St. Leger. Later that year, TERREMOTO won the Superstakes to be voted 'Horse of the Year'.

Meanwhile, punters installed the recent Thornbird Trial Stakes winner AHWHOFAH an 8-5 favourite ahead of stable-companion HEART OF GOLD (9-5) in the 1000 Guineas, but in the end she could only manage fifth in a field of 13 fillies.

Prompted the pace

ALSAFRA prompted the pace set by FIRST LADY and then LADY LIZ, before coming through entering the straight. IT IS I, who was never far off the pace, mounted a strong challenge leaving the furlong pole. But Harding, riding as if his life depended on winning, dug deep in the crucial stages to win by half a length from the Nunes-trained IT IS I.

A chestnut filly by Legal Process out of Tee Gee Vee, ALSAFRA, who was winning for the third time from seven starts, is co-owned by Sherman Clachar and Norman Gordon, bred by many-time champion Henry Jaghai and trained by Fitznahum Williams who controls a small string of horses.

.Williams not only saddled his first classic winner but had a second winner on the card in MR.THEOPHILUS (2-1), one of three winners for jockey Paul 'Country' Francis who recently returned home following a five-month stint in Florida.