PICTURE CAPTION – Kingston Graded Stakes dead-heat finish on May 8 at Caymanas Park with Further and Beyond (Dane Nelson) on the inside and Miniature Man (Dick Cardenas) on the outside.
Last month’s Kingston Stakes dead-heat winners Miniature Man and Further and Beyond clash in a highly anticipated rematch when Jamaica’s Triple Crown Classic Series kicks off with the Guineas races at Caymanas Park this weekend.
Champion trainer Anthony Nunes has declared his 2020 Champion two-year-old (2YO) colt Further and Beyond fitter for Saturday’s JA$3.75 million (US$25,195) 2000 Guineas than he was for last month’s Kingston Stakes.
“He has just progressively gotten fitter and fitter and we are happy with his fitness level,” Nunes told SportsMax this week. “I think he is as fit as we can make him.”
Meanwhile, Miniature Man’s form suggests his current rate of improvement is probably the most pronounced of all the 3YOs and could nullify Further and Beyond’s upgraded fitness.
“He’s improving at the right time. He is training well and I think he is coming to give us a good performance again,” trainer Jason DaCosta said of his charge.
Saturday’s one-mile Guineas is half-a-furlong longer than the 7-1/2-furlong Kingston Stakes just under a month ago and Miniature Man’s rousing finish coming from behind, suggests in theory, that he will relish the extended journey.
“He is the kind of horse that stays forever so I think the longer they go should be the better for him,” DaCosta said.
Both horses have already won over a mile, Further and Beyond flawless in his Supreme Ventures Jamaica 2YO Stakes triumph last December in a pretty-quick one minute 39 and 3/5ths of a second and Miniature Man had an April 17 win over the trip in 1:41 and 2/5ths.
Miniature Man is listed in the official race programme Track & Pools as the 7-5 morning line favourite ahead of Further and Beyond (5-2).
Trainers Nunes and DaCosta will saddle as many as 12 starters in the 16-horse 2000 Guineas field.
The rematch buzz is also amplified by commotion over the race-day judges’ ruling of a dead-heat in the May 8 Kingston event, with Miniature Man’s owner Elizabeth DaCosta – convinced her gelding narrowly won – challenging the dead-heat decision. DaCosta’s appeal has triggered a referral by the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) to its First Instance Tribunal to settle the disputed result.
Beaten 4-1/2 lengths on debut by Miniature Man in a Maiden 2YO race in October last year, Further and Beyond, owned by Rajendra Poonai and Vikram Oditt both from Guyana, Rawdon Persad from Trinidad and Tobago and the Barbadian Elias Haloute, quickly improved and now boasts a lifetime-record of five wins in seven starts. Miniature Man has three wins in eight starts.
Undefeated in two starts as a 3YO, Further and Beyond comes into the rematch more favourably at the scales as both horses now shoulder 126 pounds, compared to the Kingston when Nunes’s colt toted the 126-pound topweight and Miniature Man had 117 pounds.
The jockeys are also in the rematch story after the Kingston dead-heat. Four-time champion rider Dane Nelson, eyeing his first 2000 Guineas triumph, is aboard Further and Beyond again and Panama-born Dick Cardenas mounts Miniature Man targeting his third win in the Colts and Geldings Guineas, having scored previously with Mark my Word (2010) and Uncle Donny (2012).
Other leading contenders in the 2000 Guineas are Miniature Man’s stablemate Billy Whizz (4-1) and Nuclear Noon (9-2) from the Nunes barn.
Regal and Royal, a surprise third-place finisher in the Kingston at 99-1 odds, earns more betting respect this weekend, showing at 8-1 in the morning line odds.
Nunes goes into the weekend with a mammoth log of 23 Classic wins while DaCosta, recently back home -- from his base in the USA -- to run his late father Wayne DaCosta’s successful stable operations, has never won a Jamaican Classic.
For Saturday’s 1000 Guineas, the 7-5 favourite is She’s a Wonder from Ian Parsard’s barn. Undefeated as a 3YO, She’s a Wonder scored a pressured half-length win the May 1 Guineas prep Portmore Graded Stakes over Sensational Ending and Secret Identity, who are both back to challenge her again. DaCosta’s Sensational Ending is at 2-1 in the morning line odds and Secret Identity, trained by former jockey Tensang Chung is the 9-5 second favourite.
SportsMax 2 has live coverage of the Jamaica Guineas Classics on Saturday from 4:00 pm (5 E Caribbean).
Light seeking to shine again at Sandown
Kitty’s Light is taking aim at his usual season finisher in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
The gelding has been a star for trainer Christian Williams, winning big handicap events like the Eider Chase and the Scottish Grand National and going close in the Charlie Hall and the Coral Trophy.
He has particularly good record in the bet365 Gold Cup on the final day of the season, missing out only due to interference when second in 2021 and coming home third in 2022.
Last year he was completed the set of podium finishes when winning by two and a half lengths under usual jockey Jack Tudor.
The two are well acquainted and teamed up for Kitty’s Light’s Grand National bid at Aintree earlier in the month, where he ran a valiant race to finish fifth behind four Grade-One winning Irish chasers.
Williams was incredibly proud of his stable star and is now hoping the gelding can shine again in the Sandown contest he has found to be lucrative in the past.
“It was wonderful, we trained him to win the race and we thought he could, but you couldn’t be disappointed with what he did,” Williams said of the National performance.
“We were thrilled, the horse tried his best and we were very, very proud of horse and jockey.
“He’s come out of it very well, if the race was run today even then he’d be running, he’s in good form.
“He loves it at Sandown with the big fences, his jumping has come on now but even as a five-year-old he nearly won the race.
“He was third the year after that, it really seems to suit him.
“I think he likes going right-handed, he hangs a little bit right at home and he seems to really enjoy it there.
“We’re taking our chance anyway, he seems well and we’ll hope for the best.”
Olivier Peslier announces imminent retirement
Olivier Peslier will retire from riding at La Teste on Thursday.
The 51-year-old has enjoyed an exemplary career in the saddle, being crowned French champion on four occasions and claiming a string of big-race successes across the world.
Peslier counts four victories in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on his CV, as well as Derby success aboard High-Rise in 1998 and a 2000 Guineas triumph with Cockney Rebel in 2007.
He enjoyed a long association with star miler Goldikova, riding the mare to win 17 of her 27 career starts which included a famous Breeders’ Cup Mile hat-trick in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Peslier also chalked up two Japan Cup wins and victories the Hong Kong Cup, Mile and Vase plus big-races successes in the likes of Germany, Italy, Ireland and Dubai during a truly international career.
He was retained rider for owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer between 2003 and 2014 with the aforementioned Goldikova and 2012 Arc winner Solemia two of the headline acts of their lengthy relationship.
Peslier will sign off after two rides at La Teste in the south-west of France, bowing out with over 3,700 wins to his name.
“My health is fine, but you need the horses and need the practice and if you don’t have so many horses, it is the time to decide to stop because it is very tricky to ride only a few horses,” Peslier told the PA news agency.
“After a very long career I have had plenty of success. I have had more than 3,700 winners and over 500 Group race wins. I have won with both Arabians and thoroughbreds and 165 Group Ones, so it is amazing when I look at my career.
“I have won everywhere in the world and had great success and great moments. I’ve met so many good people and I’m very happy to stop my career and watch what has happened before.
“I won all the good races in England – the Epsom Derby, the King George and at Royal Ascot. In Japan, I won 12 Group Ones and won the Japan Cup and all the big races over there and also the Breeders’ Cup and all the Derbies in Europe.
“So now is the time and I’m in good form and everything is fine. It’s sad to take the decision but this morning I rode six horses and tomorrow I will ride some horses in training and for sure I will keep riding some horses because everybody loves horses and also I ride for my passion.”
Peslier is unsure what the future holds, intending to spend the summer months enjoying time with family and friends before finalising plans for the next stage of life, while he highlighted the talents of both Goldikova and Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Peintre Celebre as notable memories from his decorated career.
“I will take a little break and see some friends and see what happens over the next few months,” continued Peslier.
“After a holiday, September will be a new life, and I think I need a little bit of time to see what will happen in the future. I’m going to spend some time with my kids and enjoy life, then it will be a new life.
“Normally when I go to say Hong Kong and England it is for work, now I can go and visit people I know and take the time to enjoy it.
“Goldikova won 14 Group Ones and Peintre Celebre won the French Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and were both really, really good.”
Bellum Justum stakes Derby claim with Epsom victory
Bellum Justum halved in price for the Derby after Andrew Balding’s colt won the Betfred Blue Riband Trial at Epsom.
While he took four attempts to get off the mark as a juvenile, the form of his win over Kevin Ryan’s Inisherin now looks much stronger than it did at the time and he took another leap forward here.
Ridden by Oisin Murphy, he was content to take a lead off Ryan Moore on Aidan O’Brien’s Chief Little Rock and with those in behind struggling to get on terms, it soon developed into a battle.
Bellum Justum held a narrow advantage for much of the final furlong but while he was well on top of the Ballydoyle runner close home, Roger Varian’s Defiance began to stay on strongly.
Without looking like winning, he closed to within three-quarters of a length of the 9-1 winner, looking promising for the future on just his third outing.
Bellum Justum was cut to 25-1 from 50s for the Derby by both Coral and Paddy Power.
“He had a setback about a month ago and he missed 10 days, so he’s entitled to come on for that today,” Balding told Racing TV.
“His form looked pretty strong and he improved a lot with racing last year and he’s entitled to improve from two to three, so we were fairly sure he’d be there or thereabouts but we’re expecting him to come on for it.
“He’s in the Dante and if he was going to run again that would be the likely target, we’ll just see how the Guineas goes and the other trials and we might end up coming back here.
“He’s out of an Oasis Dream mare but he’s closely related to Fox Tal who stayed a mile and a half.
“He’s up there with our best three-year-olds but unfortunately the one we were really excited about, Anzac Day, has had a setback.”
Crystal Delight (5-2) made a winning debut for Harry Eustace when leading home stablemate Ziggy in the Lilley Plummer Risks City & Suburban Handicap.
Previously trained by the now-retired William Jarvis, he was sent straight to the front by Jim Crowley and controlled matters from the outset.
He kicked clear over two furlongs out and came home five and a half lengths ahead of Ziggy, who stayed on without ever looking a danger.
“William came as he’s good friends with dad (James Eustace) and we ended up with a couple off him, this one and Duke Of Verona and it’s going well so far,” said Eustace.
“I thought he’d run well as he’s been training well at home. It was a small field and he likes making the running, so I thought we’d be able to set our own fractions and that’s what Jim did, it worked out well.
“I had a mile-and-a-half handicap at York in mind so we’ll see how we go.”
Eustace had to settle for third with Duke Of Verona in the Weatherbys Global Stallions App Great Metropolitan Handicap as Champagne Piaff (5-2 favourite) ran out an easy winner for Gary and Ryan Moore.
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