Restless Warrior romps feature

- Dennis Coke

RJR CLASSIC: The 8-5 favourite RESTLESS WARRIOR completes a three timer for leading jockey Wesley Henry in winning the valuable RJR Classic over 1500 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday. Second was long time leader RAKKADASH.

Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

RESTLESS WARRIOR, one of three winners for leading jockey Wesley Henry, romped the second running of the $365,000 RJR Classic, feature event at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Installed an 8-5 favourite in a 15-horse field which contested the 1500-metre overnight allowance race, RESTLESS WARRIOR raced in touch from soon after the start as the 3-1 second favourite RAKKADASH had a battle royal for the lead with PAY PER VIEW (6-1).

Also prominently placed were highly fancied METEOR MAN (9-2), STRAIGHT SIX (26-1) and FRIENDLY EXPRESS (4-1).

Starting his winning move approaching the three, RESTLESS WARRIOR loomed large on the outside of RAKKADASH entering the straight.

With both drawing clear of the pack from early in the straight, RESTLESS WARRIOR gained the ascendancy after a brief duel. He passed the furlong pole a length clear of RAKKADASH and moved away to beat the fleet-footed three-year-old colt by 3 1/4 lengths, covering the distance in the smart time of 1:31.2.

This was one-fifth of a second faster than the time returned by ALEXDIMASTER over the distance half hour earlier in the Lester Spaulding Gold Cup contested by the second XI (Starter Handicap 1 & II).

RESTLESS WARRIOR, who as a three-year-old last year lost the Track Price 2000 Guineas by a nose to subsequent Triple Crown winner I'MSATISFIED and was also narrowly beaten by the same horse in the Red Stripe Derby, was notching his second win from his last three starts.

The 4-y-o chestnut gelding by Restless Thief out of Lady Anandi is owned by Ping Pong Stables and saddled by leading trainer Wayne DaCosta. Both had a second winner on the 12-race card in TUFF E NUFF, a 4-5 favourite in the 2-y-o race.

Henry, meanwhile, pushed his season's tally to 64, thanks to three winners. In addition to RESTLESS WARRIOR, "Cal-laloo" won aboard TUFF E NUFF and 7-2 chance SUL EXPRESS who was produced very late (rails) in the sixth race to catch and beat long-time leader STARFROMTHEEAST by a neck.

Henry, who is due to leave the island on Tuesday for a riding engagement at Santa Rosa in Trinidad before returning home on Thursday, widened his lead over closest rival Ramon Parish to eight, even though Parish rode two winners on the card in 7-1 chance BEYOND CHANCE (made all) and 1-5 favourite CLASSIC ACCOUNT. The latter, trained by Kenneth Mattis, returned from a 16-month absence to win the 8th race over the straight five course.

Also riding two winners was leading all-time jockey Winston "Fanna" Griffiths. These were JADE RUNNER at 5-2 in the 10th and 5-1 chance ALEXDIMASTER for trainer Jose Pinchin in the Lester Spaulding Gold Cup.

Always close up as highly fancied BRINGDIMONEYCOME made most, ALEXDIMASTER grabbed the lead entering the straight and held on grimly to thwart a sustained challenge from 3-5 favourite DIABLO FOREVER under Charles Hussey and the fast-finishing BODY & SOUL (9-1) on the outside.

Henry's mount CRUSADER'S SHIELD and SHE'S SO LOVELY were declared late non-starters, reducing the field to six.

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