Rohan Crichton's American import Commandant silenced the doubters and returned to peak form with a commanding gate-to-wire victory in the fourth staging of the Seeking My Dream Trophy over seven and a half furlongs (1,500m) at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
The five-year-old bay horse shrugged off recent concerns about his condition as he delivered a performance that reminded all of his raw talent and tenacity in the Open Allowance showdown. Piloted expertly by champion jockey Raddesh Roman, Commandant seized control from the break and never looked back, claiming the lion’s share of the $1.4-million purse.
The impressive win marked a dramatic turnaround from his last outing in the Ian Levy Cup, where he was eased and failed to finish, a performance that raised eyebrows and questions about his Mouttet Mile prospects. Breaking sharply from post position one in a 10-horse field, Commandant quickly established a rhythm, setting a swift early pace alongside fellow American-bred Desert of Malibu (Omar Walker), as star mare Atomica (Dane Dawkins) lurked just off the pace.
Commandant's connections share a photo opportunity. (Photos: Caymanas Racing)
The trio set a cracking tempo through splits of 23.2, 46.0, and 1:11.3, with Commandant and Desert of Malibu locked in a fierce duel for most of the way. Desert of Malibu briefly poked ahead, leaving the half-mile, but Roman’s confidence in his mount never wavered, as he urged Commandant for more and surged back in front.
In fact, they entered the stretch drive with purpose, and though Atomica made her move up the rail in the final furlong, the space was tight and Commandant had already kicked into another gear. With every stride, he widened his lead and crossed the line in 1:31.4, two and a half lengths clear of Atomica. Tiz Tok (Shane Ellis) and Run Julie Run (Reyan Lewis) completed the top four.
The win was Roman's third on the day, as he kicked off the card with wins aboard Bushfire for Anthony Smith and Tigray Express for Peter-John Parsard.
Among the conditioners, Byron Davis saddled two winners, Last Hoorah in the fourth and Midnight Flight in the seventh.