Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
The impressive ROYAL IMAGE is eased down by jockey Shane Ellis to win the $900,000 Prince Consort Stakes for three-year-olds colts and geldings over 1400 metres by all of 14 lengths at Caymanas Park yesterday. He was a 1-9 favourite in a field of seven.
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
AHWHOFAH AND ROYAL IMAGE won the Thornbird and Prince Consort Stakes in contrasting fashion at Caymanas Park yesterday, the latter establishing himself a clear favourite for the upcoming 2000 Guineas.
The so-called 'Guineas trials' for native-bred three-year-olds over 1400 metres were the final prep races for the season's first classics, the 1000 and 2000 Guineas for fillies and colts respectively on April 5.
In the $900,000 Thornbird Stakes contested by 12 fillies, the betting for favouritism was very tight, with AHWHOFAH, IT IS I and LADY LIZ all backed down to 5-2. In the end, the Anthony Nunes-trained IT IS I under title-chasing jockey Shane Ellis was sent off the marginal 5-2 favourite ahead of AHWHOFAH and LADY LIZ.
Ridden by Dane Nelson for owner/breeder Winston Kong and champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, AHWHOFAH, toting top weight of 57kg, turned in a gritty performance to win by 1 1/2 lengths from her fast-finishing stable-companion HEART OF GOLD (7-2) under champion jockey Omar Walker with long-time leader ALSAFRA (5-1) a farther head away in third.
Enterprising ride
Under an enterprising ride from Nelson, the speedy AHWHOFAH tracked the front-running ALSAFRA at close range before mounting her challenge approaching the 600-metre pole, at which stage GIRLOFMYDREAMS and IT IS I raced as a team in third, four lengths off the leader.
AHWHOFAH surged through approaching the home turn and raced two lengths clear a furlong out., With ALSAFRA clearly held at this stage and the others making little impression, the lightly-raced bay filly by Royal Minister out of Executive Profile, kept on gamely to win decisively. HEART OF GOLD, who was outpaced in mid-field, finished fast on the wide outside and on the strength of this performance, could start favourite for the fillies Guineas, given the additional 200m.
AHWHOFAH has now won three races from four starts, pushing her career earnings to just over $1 million.
In contrast, ROYAL IMAGE turned in another awesome display to win the Prince Consort Stakes by the resounding margin of 14 lengths from the 60-1 outsider LEONIDAS with last season's champion two-year-old, THE REAL STREAM, finishing a disappointing third in the seven-strong field.
Ridden by Ellis for Nunes, ROYAL IMAGE, obviously toying with his rivals, disputed the early lead with the 59-1 outsider MINISTEROFJUSTICE before going about his business from the half mile to win on a canter, covering the distance in the smart time of 1:24.3.
Owned by Elias Haloute and bred by Argyll Farms, the bay colt by Image Maker out of the 1993 Harry Jackson Memorial Cup winner Royal Grind had previously won the Sir Howard Stakes over 1200 metres by 15 lengths and with this performance, has established himself as the ante-post favourite for the 2000 Guineas.
Meanwhile, Omar Walker rode four winners on the 12-race programme in JACK BE GOOD, SHAHID, BULLET TRAIN and NATURALLY ROYAL, the latter one of three winners saddled by DaCosta.
Walker has now ridden 14 winners in the past four race days to lead the standings with 32 - four ahead of Ellis who rode only one winner in ROYAL IMAGE.
