Sugar Mike gets top weight in Cup

SUGAR MIKE, Honor Bound and Beautiful Mind were allotted the topweight of 56.5 kilos in the three handicap events framed for the Arima Race Club Day 23 card at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, on Emancipation Day, August 1. The American-bred Sugar Mike has been assigned top impost in the President’s Cup, the main event on the holiday card. In the Grade One highlight, the Grant Lourenco inmate has been asked to hand out a minimum of  three kilos to Phantom Bidder and a maximum ten to Carnival Messiah, the 2001 triple crown winner. Also nicely weighted in the 1900 metres contest on the main course is last year’s Royal Oak Derby winner Millenium Reign and the vastly improved Dottie’s Way. Millenium Reign who upset the odds placed on Phantom Bidder in their last meeting earlier this month, will race with 50.5 kilos in his saddle bag, while his American-bred opponent Dottie’s Way who won an allowance contest with his head in the air two weeks ago, is set to race with 48 kilos.

Completing the cast of seven runners are Invincibility (52 kilos) and Golden Shufleur, who will be making his return after a long lay off, with 50 kilos. Honor Bound has been asked to tote his 56.5 kilos burden in the Restricted Handicap. The 1350 metres contest was best patronised of the trio of events with 18 entries, which more likely than not will see the Kenneth De Silva Jnr-trainee facing off against a full complement of 16 runners. Beautiful Mind heads the weights against eight West Indian bred three-year-old runners that have not won two races in their careers. In the 1200 metres race, last year’s Nursery Stakes winner will be handing out two kilos to Derby entrant Super Grey, while spotting Fantastic Lad 12 kilos.
Following are the framed races, entries and weights for the handicaps.

RACE 7: RESTRICTED HANDICAP - W.I BRED 3 Y.O & OVER WINNERS AND IMPORTED 3 Y.O & OVER - PURSE $21,000 - 1350 METRES.
1. HONOR BOUND - 56.5, 2. MANDELA - 55, 3. BITE DE BULLET - 54.5, 4. GAME HIGH - 53.5, 5. SPLITTING IMAGE - 53.5, 6. PIECE OF CAKE - 52.5, 7. MAID OF HONOUR - 51.5, 8. BAZODEE GAL - 50.5, 9. GAZA STRIP - 50, 10. BON VOYAGE - 49.5, 11. BAJAN CONNECTION - 49, 12. LIFE IN RUSSIA - 48.5, 13. SQUEEZED MOMENT - 48, 14. NEW STAR - 47.5, 15. RING DANG DO - 47, 16. SQUEE ZINTRU - 46.5, 17. KALYAN - 46.5, 18. EL GUERROUJ - 44.5.
RACE 8: W.I BRED 3 Y.O NON-WINNERS OF TWO RACES IN CAREER - PURSE $18,000 - 1200 METRES.
1. BEAUTIFUL MIND - 56.5, 2. SUPER GREY - 54.5, 3. RETURN TO GLORY - 53.5, 4. SIR VIDIA - 49.5, 5. HYARIMA - 48.5, 6. HATRICK - 48.5, 7. SWEET LAURA LEE - 48, 8. FINEST GEM - 45.5, 9. FANTASTIC LAD - 44.5.
RACE 9: PRESIDENT’S CUP (GRADE 1) HANDICAP (OPEN 3 Y.O & OVER) - PURSE $75,000 - 1900 METRES.
1. SUGAR MIKE - 56.5, 2. PHANTOM BIDDER - 53.5, 3. INVINCIBILITY - 52, 4. MILLENIUM REIGN - 50.5, 5. GOLDEN SHUFLEUR - 50, 6. DOTTIE’S WAY - 48, 7. CARNIVAL MESSIAH - 46.