Aidan O’Brien is in no rush to make a final decision on Continuous’ potential participation in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe following his brilliant victory in the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.
The son of Heart’s Cry was beaten in his first three races this season, but has really found his groove in the second half of the campaign – impressing in the Great Voltigeur at York before providing his trainer with a seventh success in the season’s final Classic on Town Moor.
Continuous does not hold an entry in the Arc, but O’Brien did raise the possibility of supplementing the three-year-old at a cost of €120,000 in the immediate aftermath of his Doncaster triumph.
The Ballydoyle handler reports Continuous to have taken his exertions well, but with the supplementary stage not taking place until a week on Wednesday – four days before Europe’s premier middle-distance contest is run – he is happy to let the dust settle before considering the next plan of attack.
“We were delighted with him and he seems to be fine, (but) we don’t (make plans) until a week or so ever,” he told the PA news agency.
Continuous is entered for the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on October 21. When asked about possible alternatives to an Arc bid, O’Brien added: “He has a lot of alternatives really anywhere, we’ll just see how he is first really I suppose.”
One high-profile O’Brien inmate who will not be in the Arc line-up is Irish Oaks heroine Savethelastdance, who was last seen finishing third behind stablemate Warm Heart in the Yorkshire Oaks.
The trainer confirmed the Galileo filly is not in contention for the trip to Paris and will not run again this season.
On whether she could return as a four-year-old in 2024, O’Brien added: “We always talk about those things at the end of the year really, so we haven’t discussed it yet.”
Clive Cox is eager to test the big-race credentials of Ghostwriter in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes after the exciting prospect maintained his unbeaten record on his latest start at Ascot.
The son of Invincible Spirit was sent off at 9-1 on debut at Newmarket, but made a mockery of his odds when sauntering to an impressive three-and-a-half-length victory.
He then confirmed the promise of that performance when making all in encouraging fashion in the hands of William Buick at Ascot, defying his inexperience in the closing stages to pull away for a cosy one-and-a-quarter-length success.
Cox has always had Newmarket’s Royal Lodge earmarked as the place to raise the sights of the Jeff Smith-owned youngster and he is now firmly on course for a step up to Group Two company on September 30.
“With a penalty, to stretch away as pleasingly as he did was great. He is still a bit green and now has a bit more experience under his belt and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the progress he’s making,” said Cox.
“He’s got size, scope and a wonderful pedigree and he’s come through his first two races with a lot of promise and excitement.
“We entered him for the Royal Lodge with Ascot being the ideal stepping stone if everything progressed as well as it has, so I very much intend, all being well, to head in that direction.”
Also on track for Newmarket is Jasour, with the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes – on the same afternoon as the Royal Lodge – the preferred destination for the July Stakes scorer.
The form of that Group Two victory was given a welcome boost when the William Haggas-trained runner-up Lake Forest claimed the Gimcrack, but Jasour has a small point to prove having disappointed at Deauville when seeking Group One riches in the Prix Morny.
However, Cox is confident the son of Havana Grey should be judged on his previous endeavours and the youngster is backed to recover from a minor blip in his fledgling career.
“Jasour is in excellent form,” he added.
“He has a Middle Park entry which would be our intended target. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way he has conducted himself at home after a sideways step in the Morny.
“I think we still believe the horse we saw at Newmarket in July is a true witness to what we have really got.”
Live In The Dream will head to America to acclimatise ahead of his Breeders’ Cup tilt with a run in the $350,000 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland.
The flying four-year-old proved appropriately named at York when storming to success in the Nunthorpe and booking his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in the process – setting up a trip of a lifetime to Santa Anita for enthusiastic connections who were all tasting big-race success for the first time.
However, before the main event in California on November 4, trainer Adam West has elected to give his thriving speedster an early taste of the action Stateside and Live In The Dream will head to Kentucky on October 7 for a contest won in the past two years by Wesley Ward’s Golden Pal.
West said: “We can’t rely on getting any good ground in the Abbaye and we think the experience out in America – the bell, the stalls they have, the pace they set, a turning track – will hold him in better stead for the Breeders’ Cup.
“The race itself is five and a half furlongs so we’re not expecting to do serious damage there, but the experience for him in that racing style will be invaluable. If we’re leading them at the half-furlong marker then we’ll know we have a really good chance in the big race.”
West reports the Prince Of Lir gelding to be in tip-top form following his exploits on the Knavesmire and with excitement building ahead of the upcoming cross-Atlantic raids, he hopes an outing at Keeneland will help keep a lid on his charge ahead of his main target four weeks later.
“He’s been thriving ever since the Nunthorpe, he’s been really, really well,” added West.
“I’ve just been trying to switch him off a little bit actually so that the next race can bring him on. It’s very hard to keep something at its maximum for as long as the two races (Nunthorpe and Breeders’ Cup) are separated, so hopefully this will do the trick.
“It’s very exciting and we can’t wait.”
Arrest is set to be put away until next season after filling the runner-up spot in his bid to provide Frankie Dettori with one final Classic success in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.
Having put Derby and Royal Ascot disappointment behind him with victory in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury last month, the Frankel colt was the Italian’s chosen mount as he looked to secure a seventh victory in the Town Moor showpiece.
While the impressive Continuous was too good on the day, Arrest stuck to his task to finish best of the rest and connections are looking forward to seeing what he can achieve as a four-year-old.
Barry Mahon, racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “I was delighted and thought he ran a great race. I was more disappointed for Frankie than anything because it would have been lovely for him to have a fairytale ending in the last Classic of the year, but it wasn’t to be.
“The horse ran a brilliant race and Frankie was very complimentary about him afterwards and said what a good horse he thinks he’ll be next year. I think we’ve plenty to look forward to with him.
“I think that seemed to be the consensus with John and Thady (Gosden) and Frankie after the race, that we’d put him away for the year now and he’ll be a nice horse next year.
“He still has a lot of strengthening to do – he’s a tall, lean horse and he’ll strengthen up from three to four. We’ll look forward to the spring next year.
“We know he likes to get his toe in a little bit and once there’s a little bit of juice in the ground he’ll compete in all those big mile-and-a-half races next year.”
Juddmonte’s other top-class performer in the middle-distance division is the Ralph Beckett-trained Westover, who on Friday enjoyed a racecourse gallop at Salisbury in preparation for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday week.
The four-year-old has been kept fresh since being narrowly denied by Hukum in a pulsating renewal of the King George at Ascot in July, and Mahon is counting down the days until his next big-race assignment in Paris.
He added: “Westover had a day out in Salisbury and everything went lovely. Ralph was very happy and Rob (Hornby) was very happy with him. He had a good blow afterwards and that will put him spot on.
“I think he’ll head away to the beach this week, which he usually does, and he’ll be ready to head to Longchamp then.
“His form is very good – he’s been competing with the best of them – and just looking at the long-range forecasts the weather looks pretty settled in Paris, so hopefully we might get nice ground, which would be great.”
In a record-breaking spectacle, the Guyana Amazon Warriors delivered a commanding performance, securing an emphatic 88-run victory over the Barbados Royals in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at Providence on a memorable Sunday evening.
Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, the Barbados Royals were met with sheer devastation as the Guyana Amazon Warriors wreaked havoc with their batting prowess. The star of the show was none other than Shai Hope, who etched his name in the annals of CPL history with a breathtaking century, the second-fastest ever, achieved in a mere 41 balls. This extraordinary display of batting propelled the Amazon Warriors to an imposing total of 226-7 after the allotted 20 overs, marking their highest-ever team score in the CPL.
Hope's sensational innings was a masterclass in boundary-hitting, comprising an astounding 17 boundaries. He received valuable support from Kevlon Anderson, who notched up a commendable 47 runs on his CPL debut. The late cameo by Shimron Hetmyer ensured that the Amazon Warriors finished on a high note, setting a formidable target for the Royals.
In response to the daunting task, the Barbados Royals encountered early setbacks as opener Rahkeem Cornwall departed in the third over. The Amazon Warriors' spinners, led by the crafty Gudakesh Motie and the wily Imran Tahir, capitalized on the situation, taking wickets at regular intervals and stifling the Royals' run flow. The dismissals of Justin Greaves and Laurie Evans further compounded the Royals' woes, reducing them to a precarious 42-3.
Rovman Powell's departure, courtesy of Imran Tahir's bowling prowess, tilted the scales decisively in favor of the Amazon Warriors. Despite a valiant half-century from Rivaldo Clarke, the Royals struggled to maintain the required run rate. In the end, they could only muster a total of 138-6.
With this resounding victory, the Barbados Royals faced the unfortunate consequence of failing to qualify for the CPL playoffs, bringing their campaign to an end.
As the CPL moves into the playoff stage next week, the Guyana Amazon Warriors are set to clash with the Trinbago Knight Riders in Qualifier 1, while the Saint Lucia Kings will lock horns with the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Eliminator.
Final Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors: 226-7 (Hope 106, Anderson 47; McCoy 2-36, Holder 2-50); Barbados Royals: 138-6 (Clarke 54, Brathwaite 18; Tahir 3-23, Motie 2-11)
Soprano will bid to hit the right note at Newmarket later this month where she will attempt to register her first Group-race success.
George Boughey’s youngster was a fast-finishing third in Salisbury’s Dick Poole Stakes on her most recent run, but connections were left frustrated after their charge reared in the stalls and gave away plenty of ground at the start before storming home to be beaten just one and a quarter lengths in the hands of Ryan Moore.
She will now attempt to set the record straight in either the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Rockfel Stakes on September 29 or shoot for Group One gold in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes a day later on the Rowley Mile.
“It was just really unfortunate and such a shame,” explained Harry Herbert, managing director of owners Highclere Thoroughbreds.
“She seemed to anticipate the gates and they didn’t open and she sort of got a bit of a fright, went up and then the starter let them go which was infuriating.
“Ryan probably thought he was just going to come home in his own time and then suddenly realised he had an awful lot of horse under him, so it was a hell of a performance under the circumstances.
“I think everyone can see she would have won if she had broken on level terms.”
He went on: “We’re looking at either the Cheveley Park or Rockfel and I think we’ll see the entries for both first.
“At the moment, if you were talking to George, he would probably be edging more to the Cheveley Park. But we want to take our time and see who is doing what and the ground and everything.
“Fingers crossed she is taking her races so well and she’s so tough and as long as George is happy, we will go to Newmarket for one of those two races.”
Soprano burst onto the scene at Newmarket earlier in the season, but since being upped immediately in class for the Albany at Royal Ascot, she has been thwarted in four subsequent outings when running in Pattern company.
Connections feel Soprano certainly does not lack talent and are confident there is plenty to look forward to with the versatile daughter of Starspangledbanner.
“She’s a very very good filly and very special,” continued Herbert.
“She’s had the most extraordinary year where things just haven’t gone right for her. She could have had a few Group races by her name, but that’s racing and sometimes the cards don’t fall quite right for whatever reason.
“Everyone can see how talented she is and she has a size and scope to her so should be even better next year.”
As well as Soprano, Highclere also have Believing housed at Boughey’s Saffron House stables and Herbert was thrilled with her third-placed effort in the Betfair Sprint Cup.
Supplemented into the Haydock Group One at a cost of £20,000, the daughter of Mehmas defied her odds of 66-1 to earn just shy of £46,000 for making the podium.
“She’s such a tough and talented filly and she had worked so well coming into this race and ran a blinder,” said Herbert.
“She showed incredible natural speed and finished her race off really well. Had she been a bit closer to the two in front of her who were racing away from her, who knows, she might have got closer still.”
Believing holds an entry for Ascot’s Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes on October 21 which will form the centrepiece of the filly’s end-of-season programme, but a tilt at ParisLongchamp’s Prix de l’Abbaye on October 1 will now also be considered – despite the progressive speedster again needing to be supplemented.
“Ascot would be the main target and we will look at the Abbaye,” continued Herbert.
“We would have to be forking out again because she’s come forward at such a rate of knots and we didn’t put her in initially. So we would consider supplementing and see how the land lies nearer the time before making a decision about the Abbaye.
“She’s a very, very good filly, a fast filly, and like her father, has this most incredible attitude for the game.
“The way she holds her head is extraordinary and reminds me so much of Mehmas, who stuck his neck out and was really tough. She’s definitely inherited that trait and is a really exciting filly for her shareholders.
“Those horses who give their all are worth their weight in gold. She goes on any ground, has a wagon load of speed and, touch wood, she’s been so far very sound. Everyone had a great day at Haydock and hopefully there is a lot more to come.”
The Jamaica Tallawahs all but assured themselves of a place in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Playoffs following a comprehensive 122 run victory over the Saint Lucia Kings.
The Saint Lucia Kings won the toss and opted to field first and that backfired as they ran into an Alex Hales storm. Hales produced his career best to propel the Tallawahs to 201-5 a total that always looked impenetrable.
The Kings were never in the game from that moment and the Tallawahs wrapped up victory inside 15 overs bowling the Kings out for 79.
The Tallawahs were hampered by the enforced absence of Captain Brandon King, however, Hales stepped up to the plate to blaze his way to his highest individual T20 career score of 119 not out.
Hales and Imad Wasim put together a magnificent partnership of 116 from 52 balls to help set a target of 202 to win – an equation that always looked likely to be enough to secure their spot in the Caribbean Premier League eliminator.
In reply, the Kings were struggling from the start of the PowerPlay, Mohammed Amir dismissed makeshift opener Roshon Primus and Leonardo Julien before Chris Green got in on the act to trap Bhanuka Rajapaksa in front for 22 and Sean Williams for a duck.
The Kings were bowled out for 79 with Chris Green the wicket taker in chief, leading the way with a devastating spell of 4-15.
Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 201-5 (Hales 119*, Wasim 41; Chase 2-33, Joseph 1-28) beat Saint Lucia Kings 79 (Rajapaska 22, Forde 13; Green 4-15, Amir 2-17) by 122 runs
Rogue Lightning looks a sprinter going places and could take his chance in Prix de l’Abbaye following a cosy victory in the Betfred Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster.
Tom Clover’s three-year-old is improving at a rate of knots and since being gelded is unbeaten in three outings.
His last victory came in a valuable Ascot handicap and upped to Listed class on Town Moor he faced only three rivals.
However, one of those was Raasel, a very solid 110-rated sprinter who arrived off the back of a good win at Haydock last week. But he was always fighting a losing battle as Danny Tudhope coaxed Rogue Lightning (9-4) home for a three-quarters of a length success from the even-money favourite.
“He’s always been a horse that we’ve liked,” said Clover. “It’s just fantastic for The Rogues Gallery (winning syndicate) as we’ve got 55 of them here today, Doncaster have been brilliant with them and gave them a box.
“To have a runner at the St Leger meeting with so many here, it means an awful lot.
“We actually put him in the Prix de l’Abbaye with the five-furlong division looking so open. He’s very fast, he’s got so much speed and he’s just a lovely horse. Gelding has obviously helped, he was very keen but relaxes a bit better now.
“If he gets in the Abbaye we’ll probably go.”
Poet Master (9-2) looks another very nice prospect for Karl Burke and took his record to three wins from just four outings in the Betfred City Of Doncaster Handicap.
Well beaten on his handicap debut at Haydock, he seemed suited by dropping back down to seven furlongs from a mile.
Always handy under Sam James, he saw off his rival for the lead, Dark Thirty, and held the challenge of Zouky by two and three-quarter lengths.
James said: “It felt like we went a good gallop, but I was always travelling comfortably the whole way, in my comfort zone.
“I think the better the race he runs in the better he’ll be but he still needs to learn about the game, he was a little bit on it and I struggled to pull him up afterwards but he’s obviously got plenty of ability.
“He’s just got his own ideas a bit and even though he’d won a couple, he’s still green. To me it didn’t feel like he was in love with the ground, but he was still able to travel.
“He’s probably a very decent horse and he’d have to be black type now, the faster they go the easier he’ll win.”
Swift Salian (7-2) ran out a very easy winner of the I Love Julie Parkes Nursery Handicap for David and Nicola Barron.
Fresh from winning a Grade One in Canada on Saturday evening, it looked like William Buick had come to Town Moore especially for Charlie Appleby’s State Of Desire but he was a major disappointment.
Swift Salian kicked clear under Connor Beasley well over a furlong out to win by three and a quarter lengths.
Ala Kaifi justified 100-30 favouritism under Kieran Shoemark in the Hippo Carpet Protector Handicap for Ismail Mohammed.
Frankie Dettori was out of luck in the feature event at Bro Park on Sunday – but still managed an undercard winner as he continued his international farewell tour.
The weighing-room great, who is planning to retire at the end of the campaign, made the trip principally to partner Hard One To Please for trainer Annike Bye Hansen in the Stockholm Cup International.
Run over just short of a mile and a half, Hard One To Please won the Group Three last year, when he beat the Archie Watson-trained Outbox in a photo.
That rival was in the field once again and chased along early he took an early lead for Hollie Doyle, with Dettori settling in early before eventually letting his mount stride on to challenge Outbox.
However, Doyle was eager to cling to the initiative and Hard One To Please dropped away before the home turn, leaving Outbox to go for home.
French raider Big Call tried his best in the final furlong, but it was Espen Hill who finished best of all down the middle of the track to grab victory for rider-trainer Madeleine Smith.
For Outbox it was a third successive runner-up spot having also been beaten in 2021, while Hard One To Please trailed home in ninth.
Dettori shook off that disappointment to team up again with Hansen in the following Listed Lanwades Stud Stakes, with Takeko coming home a cosy winner over a mile.
Doyle and Outbox’s owners Hambleton Racing also enjoyed a measure of compensation for their Stockholm Cup reverse, as the Kevin Ryan-trained Washington Heights won the Listed Bro Park Sprint Championship earlier on the card.
The exciting Ile Est Francais is set to be campaigned in Britain later in the year following a dominant success on his chasing debut at Auteuil.
The five-year-old was a Grade One winner over hurdles at the Parisian track last year for Tom George and is now trained in partnership by his son Noel and Amanda Zetterholm.
He returned from a summer break for his first start over fences on Tuesday and could hardly have been more impressive in the hands of James Reveley.
“Auteuil is not easy to jump round for your first time and he jumped round like he’d been round there a hundred times. He was very impressive,” said Noel George.
“We’ve been waiting to run him over fences for a while and now we’ve been able to do it, he impressed us as much as we thought he would. Hopefully he’s got a big career over fences ahead of him.”
Ile Est Francais is set for one more run at Auteuil this autumn before potentially being readied for major meetings on UK soil.
George added: “We have to discuss it with the owners, but I think he’ll probably run at the beginning of November at Auteuil – there’s a Listed race for a five-year-old chasers, which I’d like to think would be a penalty kick for him.
“After that we’ll maybe consider the Coral Gold Cup meeting at Newbury or Kempton at Christmas. He’ll be travelling over to the UK this year, that’s for certain, but when and where that will be, I can’t say for certain yet.
“Newbury would be a nice place for him to start for his first run in England as it’s flat with a nice, long straight.
“I think we’ll probably start him over two and a half miles because he runs over two and a half a lot over here and we can then make a decision on whether he needs to go up or down in trip.
“He’s very versatile and for me, with his speed and jumping, he could easily be a two-miler in England, but we’re dreaming of winning a French Gold Cup with him one day and that is over three and a half miles, so we don’t want him going the wrong way.”
Matilda Picotte made every yard of the running to win the Japan Racing Association Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster.
Third in the 1000 Guineas in the spring, Matilda Picotte had failed to strike in three subsequent starts but returned to form in some style in this Group Three contest.
Oisin Murphy had Kieran Cotter’s charge smartly away, seizing the initiative from the off and settling into a nice rhythm on the front as Cachet, last year’s 1000 Guineas winner who was making her seasonal bow, raced on her heels.
Cachet was starting the feel the pace with a couple of furlongs to run, however, dropping back as Murphy kicked on again on Matilda Picotte, opening up a handy gap.
Nigiri tried to challenge inside the last of the seven furlongs, but Matilda Picotte (6-1) was too good, coming home three and three-quarter lengths clear, with a further two lengths back to Vetiver, who just pipped Cachet for third by a nose.
Tom Scudamore steered I Still Have Faith to victory in the Vickers.Bet Leger Legends Classified Stakes at Doncaster.
Scudamore, who retired earlier this year, was having his first ride in the mile race confined to retired jockeys which raises valuable funds for the Injured Jockeys Fund Jack Berry House and the National Horseracing College.
This year’s line-up featured a range of recently-retired names, including Paul Hanagan, who only bowed out at the Ebor meeting, as well as the likes of Gary Bardwell, Gay Kelleway, Davy Russell, Robbie Power and Jamie Osborne.
The Ben Brookhouse-trained I Still Have Faith was sent off the 100-30 favourite and was covered up early on by Scudamore before launching his challenge with a couple of furlongs to run.
I Still Have Faith shot clear and while Hanagan tried his best to catch him aboard Biplane, the market leader had lots in hand, coming home a two-and-a-quarter-length victor.
Grand National-winning rider Power took third on Lion’s Pride, while Osborne finished with a flourish for fourth with Cliffs Of Capri.
Scudamore – who retired with 1,499 winners to his name over jumps – was sporting the colours of owner Roger Brookhouse, a long-term ally of his during his professional career.
He said: “It’s lovely. I had more winners for Roger than just about any other owner I rode for – I think I rode 60 or 70 winners for him. It’s a lot of winners and he was fantastic to me all through my career, right from as a claimer.
“We had some wonderful days – Western Warhouse for David (Pipe), we had some really special days. It wasn’t just Western Warhouse, I’m So Lucky – he had a fantastic family that’s still going well.
“He gave me some of my best days in racing and it’s a nice way of bowing out.”
He added: “Everybody wanted to do this, it shows the admiration and respect Jack Berry has from the whole of the sport. It was a great honour and privilege to be asked.”
Shai Hope’s controlled half-century helped Guyana Amazon Warriors complete a six wicket win and the double against the Trinbago Knight Riders as the two sides, on Saturday, played out a dress rehearsal ahead of Wednesday night’s Qualifier 1.
The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to field first and the decision went in their favour as a Knight Riders side shorn of Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine posted a competitive 176-8. The Amazon Warriors timed their chase perfectly in reply as Hope carried on his good form with an unbeaten 54 to ensure the game was won with 10 balls to spare.
Earlier on, a much-changed Knight Riders got off to a bad start when Martin Guptil was run out for one but Mark Deyal’s quick fire 37 from 20 balls ensured the Knight Riders were able to post a healthy 49-2 by the end of the PowerPlay.
Chadwick Walton and Keacy Carty put on a 59-run partnership before Imran Tahir cleaned up Walton for 25.
However, that merely signalled the moment for Carty to press the accelerator. He took an extreme liking to Odean Smith, taking him for 26 runs in the 15th over to bring up his half century.
Carty was to go on to make a brilliantly constructed 83 before he was eventually stumped. That wicket was one of three in the 19th over as Imran Tahir halted the Knight Riders momentum.
The Knights Riders were to eventually post 176, a total that gave their bowlers something to work with.
In reply, the Amazon Warriors got off to the best possible start in the PowerPlay. Odean Smith partnered Saim Ayub and the pair reached 56-0 at the end of six overs but Ayub was to fall immediately after the fielding restrictions were lifted, skying a delivery from Akeal Hosein.
Smith was to go on to make his best score of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) – benefitting from three drops on his way to a sparkling 44, Smith’s knock ensured the Warriors only needed 60 from 44 balls with eight wickets remaining.
It was an equation the Amazon Warriors negotiated with ease as they romped to victory with two overs remaining.
Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 177-4 (Hope 54*, Smith 44; Deyal 1-21, Hinds 1-26) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 176-8 (Carty 83, Deyal 37; Tahir 3-12, Paul 1-11) by 6 wickets
Former champions Glenmuir High maintained a positive start to the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup season, as they outclassed last year’s beaten finalist Central High in a come-from-behind 5-1 win in what turned out to be a lopsided encounter at the former’s base on Saturday.
Nyron Allen (15th), Kyle Gordon (31st), Deandre Johnson (48th), Tajaun Cummings (52nd) and substitute Derrick Henry (69th), were on target for the Andrew Peart-coached Glenmuir side, after James Gallimore gave Central High an 11th-minute lead.
Peart welcomed the win, which was his team second on the trot, putting them in firm control of Zone L on six points.
“The result is very important at this group stage, especially also due to the fact that both teams had some level of success last season so there were a lot of talk around the town about who would win, and we came out on top,” he said in a post-match interview.
“We are just training hard and always seeking to improve, last year we laid down some foundations and we have built on them so far. So there is no pressure, I am just looking at what is in front of me, the players that are in front of me and the direction we want to take the school in,” Peart added.
With Glenmuir being gradually slow to settle, Central capitalised and grabbed the early ascendancy when James dyer sidewined his way between two defenders before playing a pass off to Gallimore, who made no mistakes from close range.
However, their lead was short-lived, as captain Gordon dispossessed a defender and found an unmarked Allen, who fired a firm right-footed effort past Davone Robinson in goal for Central.
Glenmuir suffered a setback as they lost last season’s standout player after he picked up what appeared to be a broken arm in the 25th minute. Watson tallied 17 goals and nine assist last season.
Still, Glenmuir pressed on and found the lead just past the half-hour mark when Gordon converted from the penalty spot, after Johnson was felled inside the danger area by Robinson, to put Glenmuir 2-1 up at the break.
They wasted little time to pick up where they left off on the resumption and extended the lead three minutes in when a defensive mix up, allowed Johnson to arrive on the ball and head past Robinson for his second goal of the season.
And Cummings put further daylight between Glenmuir and Central with a cool, calm and collected finish over a well-advanced Robinson, who was left in no man’s land.
Though Central tried to play their game and had a few openings from which they could have narrowed the gap, Justin Murray, in goal for Glenmuir was not for beating.
While Central’s hunt was fruitless, Glenmuir helped themselves to a fifth, as Allan slipped two defenders, before passing to Henry, who slotted home from deep inside the 18-yard box.
A disappointed Jermaine Douglas of Central High felt his team lost their composure after finding the lead.
“I thought we were playing well in the first 15 to 20 minutes, but my concern was always scoring first and then becoming complacent, it's something we try to guard against but that is exactly what happened. I don’t think we should have lost by this margin we got some chances that we didn’t put away, but such is football,” he said.
The result leaves Central pointless, while the other group contest between Porus and Old Harbour was called off due to bad weather with the latter leading 5-0.
Saturday’s results
Zone A
Cornwall College 0, Irwin High 0
Maldon 4, Green Pond 0
Spot Valley 2, St James 1
Zone D
Mannings 1, Petersfield 0
Zone I
Tacky High 3, Horace Clarke 3
Wycliff Martin 1, St Mary Technical 1
Zone J
Dinthill 6, Ewarton 0
McGrath 1. Enid Bennett 0
Zone K
Yallahs 6, Robert Lightbourne 0
Morant Bay High 1, Paul Bogle 0
Zone L
Glenmuir High 5, Central High 1
Porus 0, Old Harbour 5 (Game called off due to lightning)
Zone M
Kemps Hill 0, Vere Technical 2
Garvey Maceo 8, Tacius Golding 0
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