‘The Student’ should stroll in WITRA

TOP OF THE CLASS is confidently picked to continue his fine winning form and that of the trainer Glenn Mendez and jockey Ricardo Jadoo team, and bag the feature Bookmakers Association of  Trinidad and Tobago WITRA Class V at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, today.

Turfites love to see stars in action and would be hoping Top Of The Class is in the same kind of mood as he was at racing headquarters one month ago when he took his winning sequence to four by landing the Royal Oak Derby, the final leg of this year’s triple crown. The win was sweeter for  Jadoo who was astride his first triple crown winner, but for trainer Mendez it was his second in three years, having accomplished the feat in 2001 with Carnival Messiah. The son of Freshly Squeezed/ Crescendo has become the darling of turfites since he never gives them an anxious moment. He had shown in no uncertain terms that he is a clear cut above his three-year-old peers,  conquering them in all three classics in effortless fashion.

Top Of The Class first took the Easter Guineas by 12 lengths, then had another romp in the Midsummer Classic by five-and-a-half, before sealing the classic series by a widening 13 lengths in the Derby. Between the second and third legs he also gave the older opposition a licking by 31/4 lengths in a three-year-old and over Allowance event. His latest victory was of value to  his owners, since it was not only worth  the $120,000  in stakes, but had an additional $250,000 bonus put up by Colonial Life Insurance Company for completing the tri-part series. And apart from today’s run, he has his target next month at the Champion Stakes, where he can earn connections a further $750,000, should he complete a clean sweep of the insurance giants’ four-race package.

Mendez is a super trainer at getting his charges ready for the big occasion and can celebrate victory today with this talented three-year-old before he goes after the biggest win of his career on November 29. The current leading trainer also has Celebration Time in today’s 2000 metres classic, and this chestnut son of Freshly Squeezed/Finders Wish who followed stablemate Top Of The Class home in both the Midsummer Classic and Royal Oak Derby can again fill the runner-up position. Undisputed and Isle Be There should fill the minor berths in the staying event. Mucho Tempo, like Top Of The Class is owned in partnership by Merlin Samlalsingh and Rupert Leong Poi and the highly thought of chestnut who was given an easy introdution last month can make it a double for connections on the ten-race programme by taking  the Stud Farm Association of Trinidad and Tobago Breeders’ Stakes.