Edwin Allen’s Tonyan Beckford and the Excelsior High pair of Demarco Bennett and Daniel Wright all produced breathtaking performances to win their respective 400m hurdles titles to bring the curtains down on Friday’s third day of the 113th ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
Wright, who was sixth in the boys’ Class one event last year, bided his time throughout the event on this occasion, before producing a late burst in the stretch to win in a dazzling personal best 50.71s. He edged the Kingston College pair of Antonio Forbes (50.74s) and Shamari Jennings (50.83s).
Prior to that, Bennett proved too good for rivals in the boys’ Class two event, as he ran away an easy winner in 51.70s, ahead of Calabar’s Robert Miller (52.63s) and Taj-Oneil Gordon (52.35s) of Kingston College.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ Open event, Beckford, running from lane five, went out and a decent pace and basically covered the field on the backstretch before sprinting away from rivals off the curve to win in a brisk 56.70 seconds.
She led a one-two finish for the Frankfield-based Edwin Allen, as her teammate Natasha Fox (57.94s) was second, with Aaliyah Mullings (58.96s) of Hydel in third.
“The inspiration behind it is that I want my team to win and as you can see, I am the captain, so I have to come out here and lead by example,” Beckford said after the win.
Following those events, Edwin Allen surged to 184 points, 43 points ahead of reigning champions Hydel (141 points), while St Jago (81 points), Immaculate Conception (70.33 points) and Holmwood Technical (57 points), complete the top five.
On the boys’ side, Kingston College moved to 169 points, 36 points ahead of Jamaica College (133 points), with Calabar High (84 points), St Jago (74 points) and Excelsior (60 points) rounding out the top five heading into Saturday’s final day.
St Jago High’s Jade-Ann Dawkins recovered from a stuttering start to produce 13.28m and successfully defend her girls’ triple jump Open title on Friday’s third day of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
Dawkins, who fouled her first two jumps, cut the sand at 12.54m on her third attempt to book her spot in the top eight, from where she jumped like a girl possessed, cutting the sand at 12.74m, before soaring to her winning mark.
She won ahead of Immaculate Conception’s Jaeda Robinson, who recorded a best jump of 13.21m, while Celine Riddle of Holmwood Technical won bronze with 13.04m.
The 18-year-old Dawkins, who took the triple jump and long jump double last year, will be looking to repeat the feat when she contests the latter on Saturday’s final day of the five-day spectacle.
Newly minted Class one girls’ 100m champion Alliah Baker of Hydel and boys’ Class one 400m champion Marcinho Rose, both threw down the gauntlet for what is to come in the 200m finals, as they were superb in qualifying on Friday’s third day of the 113th ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
Baker, who is relishing the opportunity to sprint, after being asked to take up the mantle by Head coach Corey Bennett, cruised to a time of 24.27 seconds and seems poised to complete the double.
She will have the likes of Bridgeport High’s Brittney McCormack (24.49s); Titchfield’s Chevauna Grant (24.49s); Mickayla Gardener (24.02s) of Wolmer’s Girls; St Catherine High’s Kaycian Johnson (24.64s); St Elizabeth Technical’s Shanque Williams (24.71s); Edwin Allen’s Jounee Armstrong (24.50s) and Trezeguet Taylor (24.71) to contend with in the final.
Kingston College’s Rose laid down comfortable 20.70 seconds to set the tone for the boys’ Class one event. The other finalists are Gary Card (21.17s) of Wolmer’s Boys; KC’s Amal Glasgow (21.26s); Lacovia’s Rosean Smith (21.52s); Vere Technical’s Omar James (21.57s); Raheem Pinnock (21.76s) of St Jago; Munro College’s Romario Hines (21.59s) and Rhaeim Allyson (21.62s) of Clarendon College.
In the girls’ Class two event, medal favourites, Shanoya Douglas (23.53s) of Muschett High; Sabrina Dockery (24.41s) of Lacovia High and 100m champion Theianna-Lee Terrelonge (23.95s) of Edwin Allen, safely progressed to the final.
They will be joined by Hydel High’s Jody-Ann Daley (24.45s) and Shemonique Hazel (24.67s); Shevi-Anne Shim (24.69s) of Immaculate Conception and St Mary High’s Tianna Rhoomes (24.74s).
Johan-Romaldo Smythe (21.31s) of Muschett High was the standard bearer for the boys’ Class two qualifiers, followed by Wiliam Knibb’s Jabari Matheson (21.77s); Kingston College’s Joshua Grant (22.06s); Antwone Bygrave (22.01s) of St George’s College and Jamaica College’s Malique Dennis (22.16s). Calabar’s Byron Walker (22.28s); Campion College’s Nasir McMorris (22.46s) and Ian Baker (22.05s) of St Catherine High (22.05), will look to challenge Smythe for the top spot.
Meanwhile, Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls’ will look to defend her Class three title, after she clocked 24.15s in qualifying. She will face the likes of Immaculate Conception’s Kimberly Wright (24.48s); St Jago’s Shannia Campbell (25.30s) and Trecia-Ann Grant (25.07s); Edwin Allen’s Kerelle Etienne (24.86s); Port Antonio’s Kevina Bourne (25.04s); St Mary High’s Kaliesha Bell (24.72s) and Hydel’s Sashana Johnson (24.79s).
Jamaica College’s Oneil Lawrence clocked 22.54 seconds to register the fastest qualifying time of the boys’ Class three 200m. He will line up against Mario Ross (22.67s) and Deandre Myers (23.31s) of Wolmer’s Boys’; Calabar’s Ched Brown (22.85s); Denbigh High’s Rayvon Black (22.99s); Andre Boyd of St Jago (23.11s); Edwin Allen’s Taheem Thompson (23.24s) and Kingston College’s Jason Pitter (23.29s).
Finally, Hydel High’s Teixiera Johnson is another athlete seeking to complete the double, as she headlines qualifiers through to the girls’ Class four event.
Johnson ran a time of 25.23 seconds, and she will be joined by her teammate Tyecia McDonald (25.46s); Jadeanne Patterson (26.03s) of Alphansus Davis; Holmwood Technical’s Aliona Crawford (26.20s); Maggotty High’s Kerian Jarrett (26.06s); Mick-Kayla Gardener (26.09s) of Wolmer’s Girls; Edwin Allen’s Makaila McDonald (26.26s) and Convent of Mercy Alpha’s Imani Crawford (26.33s).
The final is scheduled for Saturday evening.
The Barbados Pride and the Guyana Harpy Eagles secured dominant wins in their respective round five 2024 West Indies Championship fixtures against the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and the Windward Islands Hurricanes on Friday.
At the Queen’s Park Oval, the Red Force started day three 100-3 off 36 overs, trailing the Pride by seven runs.
They suffered a massive collapse early in the day’s proceedings, losing their final seven wickets for just 24 runs in 18.5 overs leaving the Pride needing only 18 for victory.
Jomel Warrican did the bulk of the damage for the Pride with 6-31 from 17 overs while Jason Holder ended with 4-23 off 12.1 overs.
The Pride then reached 20-2 off 7.1 overs to secure the win.
Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 172 off 53.5 overs (Amir Jangoo 93*, Jason Holder 4-47, Chemar Holder 3-28, Shaquille Cumberbatch 3-50) & 124 all out off 53.5 overs (Kjorn Ottley 39, Amir Jangoo 305, Jomel Warrican 6-31, Jason Holder 4-23)
Barbados Pride 279 all out off 87.3 overs (Jonathan Drakes 72, Zachary McCaskie 46, Shane Dowrich 40, Jason Holder 34, Kevin Wickham 34, Kraigg Brathwaite 30, Khary Pierre 3-54, Jayden Seales 2-33, Bryan Charles 2-57) & 20-2 off 7.1 overs (Jonathan Drakes 14*, Khary Pierre 2-10).
At Coolidge, the Harpy Eagles started day three in a dominant position, 168-1 off 57 overs leading the Volcanoes by 363 runs.
They eventually reached 224-2 before declaring and leaving the Volcanoes needing 419 to win.
Tevin Imlach and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who entered the day on 88* and 78*, respectively, both brought up well played hundreds.
Imlach eventually made 107 off 243 balls including nine fours while Chanderpaul ended unbeaten on 101* off 248 balls.
The Windwards were then bowled out for 165 in 56.2 overs. Shamar Springer led the way with 69 while Ryan John hit 41 as Nial Smith and Veerasammy Permaul each took five-wicket hauls to sink them.
Smith took 5-29 from 11 overs while Permaul ended with 5-47 off 24.2 overs.
Full Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 308 off 80.5 overs (Kevin Sinclair 74, Kevlon Anderson 48, Gudakesh Motie 46, Veerasammy Permaul 30, Darel Cyrus 5-67) & 224-2 off 87 overs (Tevin Imlach 107, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 101*)
Windward Islands Volcanoes 113 all out off 31.5 overs (Tevyn Walcott 41, Isai Thorne 4-38, Ronaldo Alimohamed 3-30, Gudakesh Motie 2-12) & 165 all out off 56.2 overs (Shamar Springer 69, Ryan John 41, Nial Smith 5-29, Veerasammy Permaul 5-47)
At Sabina Park, the Leeward Islands reached 145-3 at stumps on day three, needing a further 42 runs for victory on day four.
Full Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 221 all out off 68.2 overs (Carlos Brown 80, Romaine Morris 42, Jeremiah Louis 3-34, Rakheem Cornwall 3-69, Collin Archibald 2-23, Daniel Doram 2-27) & 196 all out off 62.3 overs (Abhijai Mansingh 52, Kirk McKenzie 33, Ramaal Lewis 30, Jeremiah Louis 3-24, Rakheem Cornwall 3-56, Oshane Thomas 2-48)
Leeward Islands Hurricanes 231 all out off 58.3 overs (Justin Greaves 62, Keacy Carty 53, Kieran Powell 41, Jewel Andrew 32, Peat Salmon 5-50, Ramaal Lewis 4-80) & 145-3 (Justin Greaves 62*, Mikyle Louis 57, Peat Salmon 2-54)
At the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, the Combined Campuses & Colleges were 72-0 off 13 overs at stumps on day three, needing a further 314 runs for victory.
Full Scores: West Indies Academy 300 all out off 78.3 overs (Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 76*, Johan Layne 63, Joshua Dorne 36, Joshua Bishop 32, Yannic Ottley 5-47, Jediah Blades 3-59) & 316-7 dec. off 87 overs (Teddy Bishop 114, Joshua James 58, Kadeem Alleyne 32, Romario Greaves 3-76, Yannic Ottley 2-48, Jediah Blades 2-64)
Combined Campuses and Colleges 231 all out off 80.2 overs (Demario Richards 59, Zishan Motara 56, Ashmead Nedd 4-51, Joshua Bishop 2-44, Johan Layne 2-60) & 72-0 off 13 overs (Kamil Pooran 49*).
The stage is set for two pulsating 4X400m relay Open finals to bring the curtains down on the 113th staging of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday.
This, as all the main protagonists booked their spot in the finals after topping their semi-finals on Friday’s third day of action.
Title favourites Edwin Allen High will be the team to beat on the girls’ side, as they clocked an easy 3:44.08 to advance.
Wolmer’s Girls (3:47.06); Holmwood Technical (3:45.01); Excelsior High (3:48.22); Hydel High (3:45.03); Vere Technical (3:48.73); Alphansus Davis (3:51.76) and St Catherine High (3:53.45) are the other finalists, who will be seeking to upstage their fancied rivals.
Meanwhile, boys’ favourites Kingston College also led the qualifiers on their side. They were comfortable in 3:15.95, with Jamaica College (3:16.81), Calabar High (3:18.60) and Excelsior High (3:18.72), expected to be their main competition for the coveted gold medal.
However, William Knibb Memorial (3:16.73), Edwin Allen High (3:16.89), Clarendon College (3:18.69) and Herbert Morrison Technical (3:19.39), will be hoping to spoil their party.
A few athletes will be aiming to complete the middle distance double in their respective classes after they easily navigated the 800m semi-finals on day four of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Friday.
Among them are Jamaica College’s Samuel Creary, Alikay Reynolds of Alphansus Davis and Abigail Campbell of Hydel High.
Campbell, who won the girls’ Class one 400m title, clocked an easy 2:18.60 to book her spot in the 800m final, along with the Edwin Allen pair of Monique Stewart (2:17.70) and Rickeisha Simms (2:16.18). Carlene Temple (2:16.26) and Allecia Johnson (2:19.07) of Alphansus Davis; Holmwood Technical’s Cindy Rose (2:16.64); Kitania Headley (2:17.05) of St Catherine and St Andrew’s Rihanna Gayle (2:19.31), also progressed.
The boys’ Class one finalists include Maggotty’s Yoshane Bowen (1:57.88); Jaquan Coke (1:59.82) of Kingston College; Kemario Bygrave (2:00.41) of Jamaica College; Port Antonio’s Ainsley Brown (1:57.91) and Joaqueem Miller (1:59.86) of St Elizabeth Technical.
Holmwood Technical’s Jovi Rose headlines the girls’ Class two qualifiers with a time of 2:16.33, and she will be joined by Horecia Love (2:18.12) of Edwin Allen High; Shavanecia Griffiths (2:18.22) and Chennai Jarrett (2:17.29) of St Elizabeth Technical; St Mary’s College’s Latanya Dixon (2:18.33); St Jago’s Kededra Coombs (2:18.80); Andrene Peart (2:18.47) of Holmwood Technical and Sydney Pagon’s Denae Hodges (2:23.27).
Creary, who won the 1,500m title and Nahashon Ruto of Kingston College are expected to battle it out for the boys’ Class two title after both easily progressed to the medal event. Creary clocked 1:58.38 in semi-final two and Ruto stopped the clock in 2:00.32 in the other semi-final.
They will be joined by Delano Brown (2:00.85) of St Elizabeth Technical, Rushanne James (2:00.69) of Clarendon College, St Mary High’s (2:00.75), Jayden Brown (2:01.42) of Maggotty High, Shemar Green (2:00.92) of Jamaica College and Albert Town’s Clevaughn Genius (2:01.41).
Alphansus Davis’ Reynolds, the girls’ 1,500m Class three champion, easily booked her spot in the 800m showpiece with a time of 2:16.51. The Edwin Allen pair of Denique Palmer (2:18.29) and Kevongaye Fowler (2:19.91); Shameika Dennis (2:21.24) of St Elizabeth Technical; Tabbrel Williams (2:20.67) of Alphansus Davis; St Mary High’s Dallia Fairweather (2:18.81); Hydel’s Sackeela Whilby (2:21.59) and Manchester High’s Vennesha Pommels (2:22.44), will seek to upstage Reynolds in the finals.
Meanwhile, Jamaica College’s Cavel Nooks, the boys’ Class three 1,500m champion, will start as a favourite in the final 800 metres, as he won his semi-final in 2:02.65.
Also securing a lane in the final are Camron Williams (2:05.97), also of Jamaica College Titchfield High’s Ratieo Walters (2:07.08); Sydney Pagon’s Luke Plummer (2:06.55); Calabar’s Obrian Clarke (2:09.79); Excelsior’s Keniel Daniels (2:10.06); St Elizabeth Technical’s Renento Alexander (2:07.57) and Nathaniel Thomas of Denbigh High (2:11.43).
The finals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Dan and Harry Skelton’s memorable March continued at Newbury on Friday as Doyen Quest rediscovered winning ways in the Daily Racing Specials At BetVictor Handicap Hurdle.
The Alcester-based team claimed four winners at the Cheltenham Festival last week, a run of results which saw older brother Dan Skelton go ahead of his former boss and mentor Paul Nicholls in the race to be crowned this season’s champion trainer.
Subsequent victories at Kempton, Uttoxeter, Chepstow and Market Rasen have kept the Skelton ball rolling in the past week and Doyen Quest did his bit for the team with a narrow verdict in Berkshire.
The six-year-old was the 100-30 favourite to notch a second career win, having had to make do with the runner-up spot on his latest appearance at Taunton, and got on top close home to score by a neck from the Sam Thomas-trained Steel Ally.
Dan Skelton said: “I’m delighted with that, we were able to turn him out quickly before the penalty kicked in and he finished really well. Hopefully there’s a bit more to come from him.”
On the title race, he added: “The horses are obviously in good form, but we’ve got to keep it going.
“We’re in front at the moment, but there’s still some major meetings to come – it’s going to be a long five weeks!
“I won’t be coming back here (Newbury) tomorrow (Saturday) thinking we’ll definitely have a winner, but hopefully we have a few chances.”
The Skeltons were denied a double by the narrowest of margins in the following Steve Jobar MND Handicap Hurdle, with Take No Chances coming off second best in a pulsating three-way finish.
Lucy Wadham’s Zain Nights (5-1) was called the winner by a nose in the hands of Tom Cannon, with Take No Chances second and Hermino AA only a short head further away in third.
The Bet In-Play On Racing At BetVictor Novices’ Hurdle was a similarly close-run affair, with Harry Derham’s newcomer Huffin A Puffin (10-1) lunging late under Paul O’Brien to pip the more experienced favourite 6-4 favourite Ballybentragh by a short head.
Derham, another successful graduate of the Nicholls academy at Ditcheat, said: “He’s a lovely big horse and I wasn’t really sure he’d be ready enough to win today, so that was a nice surprise.
“He’s learning on the job and I’m not in a rush to do anything mad with him. He could have another run this season, but we’ll see.
“Hopefully he’s a horse to look forward to. He doesn’t have enough experience to go novice chasing next season so we’ll probably stick to hurdles.”
Nicholls himself got on the scoresheet with the Natalie Parker-ridden Secret Investor (3-1) in the Lengthen The Odds At BetVictor Open Hunters’ Chase, while David Pipe and Jack Tudor combined for a double on the card with Neon Moon a 12-1 winner of the Get Best Odds Guaranteed At BetVictor Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase and Bumpy Johnson scoring at 11-1 in the Download The BetVictor App Handicap Hurdle.
Richard Bandey’s Maclaine (3-1) impressed in the Get A Run For Your Money At BetVictor Handicap Chase, with Harry Bannister the winning pilot.
Harry Cobden’s hopes of winning the 2023-24 champion jump jockey title were boosted after he successfully appealed a three-day suspension imposed at the Cheltenham Festival.
The ban was initially handed out by the raceday stewards at the meeting when they deemed Cobden to have ridden carelessly aboard Handstands in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle.
The horse finished sixth and was judged to have interfered with the progress of Ile Atlantique and Predators Gold, both trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Patrick and Danny Mullins respectively.
That finding was contested at the appeal and the panel, chaired by James O’Mahony, found in Cobden’s favour and overturned the suspension.
Those three days he is now free to ride could prove pivotal for the jockey, who is locked in a title race with Sean Bowen and was 12 winners ahead at the end of the action on Friday.
Porta Fortuna is pencilled in to make her seasonal bow in the Ballylinch Stud ‘Priory Belle’ 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes at Leopardstown in early April.
The Caravaggio filly landed the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot last year before going on to place in both the Phoenix and Moyglare, before striking Group One gold in the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.
Trainer Donnacha O’Brien then headed to America where Porta Fortuna was only narrowly denied in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, beaten just half a length by Hard To Justify.
O’Brien admits her juvenile brilliance raises some doubts ahead of her Classic campaign, with a trial run dependent on conditions suiting at Leopardstown.
In a stable tour for Attheraces.com, he said: “She was brilliant for us last season. When they are so good as two-year-olds, you can never be sure how well they’ll train on, but she seems to have wintered particularly well and her recent work has been very good.
“I’d like to run her in the 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown on April 7, but if the ground is bad, I’ll be happy enough to give her a racecourse gallop instead and go straight to the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.”
Porta Fortuna is a best-priced 25-1 with Paddy Power for the 1000 Guineas on May 5.
Flooring Porter will attempt to finally get his hands on the Jrl Group Liverpool Hurdle following his brave second in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The dual Prestbury Park champion had been plying his trade over fences prior to reverting to timber at the Festival, where he showed plenty of his old zest to chase home Teahupoo in the day three feature.
He will now continue to operate over the smaller obstacles, with trainer Gavin Cromwell pointing the nine-year-old towards Aintree next month and the three-mile Grade One in which he has finished second and third to Gordon Elliott’s Sire Du Berlais.
“He’s come out of Cheltenham really well and the plan is to go back to Aintree, we’re really happy with him and looking forward to it,” said Cromwell.
“He was good over fences, but is probably better over hurdles, they certainly lit him up again.
“He acts round Aintree and we’re looking forward to it. A similar performance at Aintree should put him very much in the mix.”
Meanwhile, it appears handicaps are off the agenda for highly impressive Kim Muir winner Inothewayurthinkin, who received a significant rise for his easy eight-length Cheltenham Festival success.
Owned by JP McManus, the exciting six-year-old will be forced into trying his hand in graded company if he runs again this season, with top-table targets both at home and in England possible options.
“He’s a nice horse to have going forward, he’s a young horse with hopefully a bright future,” continued Cromwell.
“He’s gone up considerably in the handicap so we will probably just have to look at the graded novice route (if he is to run again). The obvious options are Aintree or Punchestown and there is a race at Limerick as well. He’s not certain to run again before the end of the season, but if he does he will probably go for one of them.
“Hopefully the handicapper is right, and if so, he will be an exciting horse to have.”
Chazzesmee is out to complete an historic double in the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday.
Just five days after plundering the €100,000 Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh, the six-year-old is sent back into battle by trainer Fozzy Stack for the British Flat season’s traditional curtain-raiser.
Sweet Lightning is the only horse to have won both races, scoring at Doncaster in 2011 when trained by Michael Dods before striking gold the Irish equivalent in 2013 for Tommy Carmody.
Not only is Chazzesmee looking to become the first to win the two prestigious handicaps in the same season, but he also bids to become the first Irish-trained winner of the Lincoln on Town Moor since Dermot Weld’s Saving Mercy 40 years ago.
“It’s kind of a shot to nothing, he’ll either be there or thereabouts or they’ll be sending out a search party for him,” said Stack.
“It’s hard to know with the short turnaround, but it’s a good pot, so it’s worth a chance.
“He’s always been a horse that has had plenty of talent, he’s just been a bit unfortunate through his life.
“He handles soft ground, obviously, so we’ll see what happens.”
One of the chief hopes for the home team is Karl Burke’s Liberty Lane, a narrow winner over the course and distance in September before failing to fire in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket a fortnight later.
Burke is looking forward to stepping the four-year-old up in trip later in the year, but is happy to start off over the straight mile on testing conditions.
“A mile is the minimum trip for him, he should be staying a mile and a quarter, but you need that (stamina) for that type of race,” said the Spigot Lodge handler.
“If he can keep tabs on the leaders, he loves that soft ground and fingers crossed he can run a big race, but we’re going there hopeful rather than confident.
“I think I’d rather be drawn high (stall 20) than low and I think they’ll probably arrowhead up the middle. Most of the fancied horses are drawn low, so it will be interesting.”
Charlie Johnston fields two contenders, with Qipco Champions Day winner The Gatekeeper joined by stablemate Dutch Decoy.
The Gatekeeper has not been seen in competitive action since his lucrative Balmoral Handicap victory at Ascot in October, while Dutch Decoy makes his first appearance since finishing a close-up sixth in the Cambridgeshire.
Johnston said: “The Gatekeeper is in very, very good shape, I couldn’t be happier with him in that regard. He’s proven with some cut in the ground and goes well fresh, so he’s got lots in his favour.
“Life’s going to be a bit tougher for him as he’s rated 100 now. The handicapper rightly didn’t miss him for his Balmoral win, but that’s the only negative I think. Other than that he’s got all conditions in his favour. He’s a solid contender and this has been the target for a long time.
“If there’s any ambition for this season, one is that Dutch Decoy gets his day in the sunshine because he’s often been the bridesmaid and he’s been a real stalwart with us in the top handicaps, but generally running well in defeat.
“He was just behind The Gatekeeper in the Golden Mile at Goodwood last summer on soft ground, so he has got some soft ground form, but generally I don’t think he would want the extremes and I think he’s a little bit better on slightly better ground.
“That would be a slight concern with him, but he’s fit and well and there’s not a lot else for him for a while, so we thought we’d take our chance.”
Simon and Ed Crisford’s Awaal, the Julie Camacho-trained Lattam and Jack Channon’s 2022 Lincoln hero Johan also feature in a fiercely-competitive field.
Channon said: “He’s just a very good horse and 100 per cent a great servant. He’s not got any black type but he’s a black-type horse. Those big-field mile races just seem to really suit his running style.
“He’s won two big ones already and hopefully he can add another to that.”
Amidst the fallout from Jamaica's defeat to the United States in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) found itself thrust into the spotlight, not for the on-field performance, but rather for the controversy sparked by one of its own players, Leon Bailey.
Bailey, the talented Aston Villa winger, had recently taken to the "Let's Be Honest" podcast to air his grievances against the JFF, leveling accusations of unprofessionalism and neglect against the governing body. His claims ranged from issues with flight arrangements to delays in payment, painting a picture of dissatisfaction that led to his hiatus from national team duties.
Bailey was suspended and not invited to be part of the team for the Nations League semi-final after he broke curfew during a previous team camp and as a consequence was not considered for selection by Coach Heimer Hallgrimsson. The player has since said he will make himself unavailable for national duties for the foreseeable future.
In response to Bailey’s disparaging statements, the JFF has wasted no time in responding to the player’s allegations. In a detailed statement released on Friday morning, the federation sought to debunk the assertions made by the disaffected Reggae Boyz winger.
The statement led with the acknowledgment of Bailey's comments on the podcast, swiftly moving to address the inaccuracies and misconceptions contained therein. Notably, the JFF emphasized that while Bailey's criticism of the coaching staff would be addressed separately, the focus would be on clarifying the factual inaccuracies regarding the federation's operations.
One of the primary points of contention was Bailey's claim that he had to personally book his airline tickets and often endured subpar travel conditions, such as economy class with multiple stops. The JFF countered this assertion by presenting evidence of recent flight bookings for Bailey, all of which showed premium economy or business class accommodations with standard one-stop routes, effectively refuting Bailey's narrative.
“Firstly, the charges made that Leon has to book his own airline tickets, is always contending with multiple stops, and is always booked in economy are inaccurate and contradictory,” the JFF said in its statement.
“Contradictory because if he says he books his own ticket but then says that he is always booked in economy, with multiple stops, and always receives the tickets late, then it would suggest that he is the reason why he has those issues, as he is the one, he asserts, who books the tickets. The fact though is that these statements are untrue.
“In order to verify these statements, we researched the last three bookings for Leon, and the following were the results:
A ticket booked for a travel date of 4 September 2023, shows a booking on AA 6958 leaving London Heathrow at 10:25AM, with a stop in Miami and then a flight on AA 0850, departing at 5:57PM to Jamaica. This is a typical one stop for flights out of the UK to Jamaica, and the seat type for both flights were Business.
“A ticket booked for travel date 13 November 2023, shows a booking on VS 0103 leaving London Heathrow at 10:50AM, with a stop in Atlanta and then a flight on VS 3832, departing at 6:10PM to Jamaica. This is a typical one stop flight out of the UK to Jamaica, and the seat types were Business and Economy, respectively.
“A ticket booked for travel date 19 November 2023, shows a booking on AC 0983 leaving Montego Bay at 1:45PM, with a stop in Toronto and then a flight on AC 0854, departing at 6:20PM to London Heathrow. This is a typical one stop flight out of Jamaica to the UK, and the seat types were Business for both.
The JFF continued: “We could, of course, show additional similar tickets booked for Leon (which he travelled on) and so we are at a loss about the statements that he books his own tickets, that they were sent to him late (when all itineraries are sent days before to the players for confirmation), and that the bookings were primarily economy.
“The JFF does have a policy that all players are booked on premium economy, which is similar to what is done in other sporting organizations, as the cost of booking all players on Business would make the programme unaffordable. This is communicated to all players, and they advise in many cases (including Leon) that we should use any monies owed to them to purchase Business class tickets on occasions, when they advise. The option is available to all players to upgrade their tickets themselves or by setting off against funds owed to them.”
Furthermore, the JFF refuted Bailey's allegations of non-payment, stating that while outstanding funds from 2022 were being addressed, players received consistent per diem payments and had their camp and game expenses covered by the federation.
“The charge made that he has received no monies from the JFF, is untrue. The JFF has stated that funds are outstanding to the Boyz, from as far back as 2022, and we have made inroads in paying it down, and has advised that we will pay them off in second quarter 2024.
“We can confidently say though that we have been paying per diem consistently, and we also cover all costs relating to the camps or games. So, saying that no funds have been received from JFF is misleading, and unfortunate. We would like to add that the JFF, like many national federations, is not able to match what is paid by the professional clubs.
“We would think though that the honour of playing for your country is something that all patriotic Jamaicans would want to do, as we realize that we will never be able to match the financial rewards of the professional clubs. We never realized that playing for Jamaica was primarily about financial rewards, and that this would be a main consideration”.
In addition to addressing Bailey's specific grievances, the JFF clarified the division of responsibilities between the federation's secretariat and the coaching staff, reiterating that team selections were solely within the coach's purview. This distinction aimed to underscore the federation's commitment to fairness and equality among players while respecting the autonomy of the coaching staff.
“The JFF secretariat would also like to say that the decision about team dynamics, and who is selected or not, remains the sole decision of the coach and his staff. The secretariat merely receives the requirements from the team technical staff, and determines if we have the funding support or not.
“So, the implication that it is the JFF secretariat that determines who is selected to the team is false. The accountability of the coach to the JFF secretariat is whether he is a success or not, and our job is merely to hire or terminate the coach but not interfere in the coaching decisions.
“One thing we will not encourage is for any player to be treated differently from any other. However, what happens within the team is a matter for the coaching staff.
“The JFF wants to say again that it is unfortunate that we have to be addressing these public comments, as we believe that the professional thing to do is for differences to be addressed with each other and not through social, or other media.”
Despite the disappointment expressed by the JFF at having to address such public comments, the federation remained steadfast in its dedication to professionalism and integrity within Jamaican football. Moving forward, the JFF hoped that internal dialogue and resolution would prevail over public discord, reaffirming its unwavering support for the national team and the sport as a whole.
George Boughey’s Baradar bids to start his season on the right note when he lines up at his favourite track for the William Hill Cammidge Trophy Stakes.
The six-year-old was twice a winner last term, taking a Doncaster handicap over a slightly longer trip at the peak of his form in the autumn.
His Town Moor form in general is impressive, and he was a good third on heavy ground in the Lincoln at this meeting last year.
Now dropping back in trip to six furlongs, Boughey is hopeful he will relish a return to his favoured course at Listed level.
“Baradar was good back at six and a half furlongs at Doncaster in the autumn, before probably just finding it one too many runs at Ascot at the end of last year,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing him at six (furlongs) for the first time. He loves it at Doncaster, he’s done lots of work and is very straight. He’s in a super shape, he’s an absolute legend.
“In four runs at Doncaster he’s won twice, been 1-3 in the Lincoln in-running and placed in the Futurity Trophy.
“It’s his first run in stakes company for a long time and he goes there with a good chance.”
Nick Bradley Racing have three chances in the race, chief among them being the Karl Burke-trained Marshman.
Second in the Gimcrack as a two-year-old, the bay started his season well when winning the Prix Sigy on debut last year and was then fifth in the Duke of York when beaten three lengths.
He was subsequently a close third in the Prix du Gros-Chene, before finishing unplaced in both the King’s Stand and the Coral Charge.
The latter three runs were over five furlongs, and the talented colt will now step back up to six as he wears a tongue tie for the first time.
Burke said: “He’s a nice horse, I’m not sure he wants the ground as testing as it’s going to be but he’s in good form.
“It’s his first run of the year obviously and he’ll come on for it, but hopefully he’ll run very well.”
Bradley added: “He came back from Sandown with a pelvic injury last year but he’d started the season off well when winning the Prix Sigy.
“If we were selecting what ground we’d want we’d choose good ground, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he were a little bit fresh.
“As a two-year-old he wasn’t a tearaway but he wasn’t far off, we’re excited to get him back on the track.
“We’ve got three in the race and we hope to come home in the first three.”
Bradley’s other two chances are both trained by Grant Tuer, the four-year-old fillies Sophia’s Starlight and Glorious Angel.
William Haggas will saddle Montassib, a six-year-old who was fifth in the Ayr Gold Cup last term before winning the Coral Sprint Trophy at York.
“He was a bit unfortunate at Ayr, he had been running over seven furlongs for a while and I dropped him back in trip for the Ayr Gold Cup and they went fast and he came home well,” said the trainer.
“He finished well at York when he won as well.
“I think this is his trip and I think he likes the cut in the ground and he will be as fit as we can have him.
“Most of the Exceed And Excels we have had have wanted fast ground, but we think he definitely doesn’t. Maybe it’s because he has got hold and prefers a bit of dig in the ground, but he definitely wants cut.
“He always runs a good race, but he has never run off 108 before. Handicaps are now a bit out for him and it’s races like this and the Abernant Stakes and see where we are.”
Charlie Hills’ Orazio and Rod Millman’s Adaay In Devon complete the field of seven.
In a thrilling showdown that left fans on the edge of their seats, the West Coast Fever defeated the New South Wales Swifts 52-50 in the opening match of the 2024 Team Girls Cup. With her remarkable accuracy and undeniable skill, Fowler-Nembhard netted an impressive 40 goals from just 43 attempts, to spur the Fever to victory.
Trinidad and Tobago's Samantha Wallace led the charge for the Swifts scoring 17 goals for the losers.
From the first whistle, it was evident that this match would be nothing short of intense. The Swifts and the Fever traded goals relentlessly, each determined to gain an early advantage. But it was the towering presence of Jamaica's own Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard that truly shone in the opening quarter.
As the game progressed into the second quarter, the Fever began to assert their dominance. Led by their captain, Jess Anstiss, and the dynamic duo of Fowler-Nembhard and newcomer Olivia Wilkinson, the Fever surged ahead, much to the delight of their supporters. Despite the Swifts' best efforts to narrow the gap, the Fever maintained their momentum, heading into halftime with a commanding lead of 27-21.
However, the Swifts were not about to go down without a fight. With determination etched on their faces, they launched a fierce comeback in the third quarter, closing the deficit with a flurry of super shots. But the Fever defense, anchored by the likes of Fran Williams and Kadie-Ann Dehaney, stood firm, refusing to buckle under pressure. Meanwhile, Shanice Beckford provided a taste of her lightning-fast reflexes, expertly maneuvering the ball to her teammates and contributing two crucial goals from two attempts.
As the final quarter unfolded, the tension reached its peak. With the score-line neck and neck, every possession became crucial. But it was the Fever who held their nerve when it mattered most. With Alice Teague-Neale orchestrating the midfield and Sunday Aryang showcasing her unwavering determination, the Fever managed to fend off the Swifts' relentless onslaught. And when the final buzzer sounded, it was the Fever who emerged victorious, securing a hard-fought win.
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