You can Pave The Way today

PAVE THE WAY has not put a foot wrong after a gentle introduction to racing in early  November, and could continue his good run by winning the Royal Colours Classic Handicap, feature race on the Arima Race Club Day Eight programme at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, today. The son of  Freshly Squeezed/Smoothawn showed signs of ability on his juvenile debut, making up a lot of ground from the back to take the runner-up spot in an 1100 metres event behind the more experienced Laura’s Boy. He showed he had gained from the experience by slamming a field of 12 by four and a quarter lengths in the Caribbean Champion Stakes four weeks later.

On that occasion the Junior Sammy-owned colt broke smartly and was kept  in the shade of the leaders, and when asked for his effort responded in business-like fashion to score with a ton in hand. The manner in which he got the job done under Ricardo Jadoo caught the eye of many fans, who earmarked him as a classic contender. Their impression of  his first victory was not false as proved to be the start to a sequence. Pave The Way closed off  last season with victory over  the colts and geldings in the St James Stakes, and again won the nod of  the experts who voted him champion juvenile 2003. He made his first appearance this season against a bunch of winners and being well turned out was sent off at prohibitive odds to win over 1350 metres.

Again Pave The Way did not give his backers any scare romping home by a widening six lengths. Trainer Grant Lourenco knows he has something special and in order to guage his improvement has chosen on numerous occasions to measure him against some of the better animals in his stable. One of  his serious workouts two weeks ago was with Twice Infallible, in which the pair covered the last 1000 metres in 59.8 seconds. And Twice Infallible went to frank the form by beating odds-on favourite and  record breaker Smart And Lucky into second place. That type of form speak volumes and points to Pave The Way being capable of shouldering the topweight of  56.5 kilos against his peers and  continue his winning sequence.

The runner-up spots in the 1350 metres race is of great interest and could be shared between the speedy Salsa Moves, Euro Star, Second Chances, Dealer’s Choice and French Academy. Trainer Lourenco could land the feature double on the card by taking the Starlight Stakes with Phantom Menace. Millenium Reign and Punto A Punto could be the main rivals to this Golden Circle Associates-owned colt in another 1350-metres  race for West Indian-bred four-year-olds and over.