Beautiful Mind, ‘Classy’ match strides again

NATURELLY CLASSY, Beautiful Mind, and Fantastic Light will tote topweight of 56.5 kilos in the two handicap races on the Arima Race Club Day 33 card at Santa Rosa Park Arima, on Saturday.

The duo, Naturelly Classy and Beautiful Mind,  were given joint topweight for the 1300 metres West Indian-bred three-year-old and over race for non-winners of four races. And Saturday’s race is shaping up to be another grudge match between the two locally bred speedsters, who were separated by less than three lengths in  three previous meetings. In their first bout in January they completed the exacta, with Naturelly Classy holding a half-length advantage. And in a re-match on Royal Oak Derby Day Beautiful Mind appeared to even the score, when the two runners again beat off  their opponnts in a handicap event. But following an objection in that 1200 sprint on September 24, Beautiful Mind was relegated to second for interferring with Naturelly Classy during their stretch duel. Because of this, jockey Jody Arneaud (Beautiful Mind) was grounded for five racing days by the stewards of the ARC which he appealed but had the decision confirmed by Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority.

The epic battles between these two continued on October 4, with Naturelly Classy again coming out on top of the Glenn Mendez-trained colt. The pair have been asked by handicappers Wayne Shockness and Robin Jaisingh to hand out from three kilos to Lady Rossie to  nine kilos to bottom weight Bound To Dot Com, a longshot winner of a sprint on Saturday last.   Fantastic Lad will tote his “big weight” against 14 runners over a similar trip. In that extended sprint, the Harold Chadee-trained colt will be giving away a minimum of one kilo to Joan Of Arc and 12.5 to stablemate El Presidente at the foot of the handicap.

Following are the weights in both handicaps.
RACE 6: W I BRED 3 Y.O & OVER NON-WINNERS OF FOUR RACES IN CAREER - PURSE $20,000 - 1300 METRES.
1. NATURELLY CLASSY - 56.5; 2. BEAUTIFUL MIND - 56.5; 3. LADY ROSSIE - 53; 4. FRANCESCA - 52; 5. HUNDRED PERCENT - 52; 6. TIME TO FLY - 50.5; 7. WHAT LEFT - 48.5; 8. BOUND TO DOT COM - 47.5.

RACE 7: W I BRED 3 Y.O NON-WINNERS OF TWO RACES IN CAREER - PURSE $20,000 - 1300 METRES.
1. FANTASTIC LAD - 56.5; 2. JOAN OF ARC - 55.5; 3. SIR VIDIA - 55; 4. WILD LIFE - 54, 5; HYARIMA - 53.5; 6. MY APHRODITE - 52; 7. TORA BORA - 52; 8. HOLLYWOOD STAR - 51.5; 9. PHENOMENON - 51.5; 10. YOU’VE GOT MAIL - 51.5; 11. FRESH MANDATE - 50; 12. FINEST GEM - 49; 13. YAA ASANTEWAA - 48; 14. UPSET ALL - 47, EL PRESIDENTE - 46.