Arts And Lovers opts out classic

CHAMPION two-year-old of 2004 Arts And Lovers will skip the Royal Colours Classic on February 26. And another to miss this event will be impressive first-time winner Freshman. Owner-trainer Harold Chadee is taking no chances with his Gilgamesh/Sizzling filly who suffered a slight setback prior to the Soca Monarch 1200 metres sprint on “Carnival Friday Lime” on February 4. Now the filly who has won six of her seven races to date is likely to return for the Ibis Stakes for fillies over 1350 metres, to be run off on March 28. But according to information, Freshman is out for possibly six to nine months.

This son of Freshly Squeezed/Top Priority out of the Grant Lourenco barn, who created a favourable impression when winning the First Paria Fund maiden race over 1200 metres on New Year’s Day, unfortunately suffered a fractured sesamoid. Of the 16 horses for which connections paid second subscriptions, final subs were not paid up for nine, leaving a field of just seven runners for the Royal Colours Classic. And the 14-horse field in the Starlight Stakes at the second subscription stage has been reduced to 11, with the withdrawal of Mandela, Millenium Reign and Supremelysatisfied. The Jamaican-bred Supremelysatisfied which is trained by to travel to neighbouring Barbados to race 1800 metres Tanglewood Stakes for West Indies-bred four-year-olds and over on Sandy Lane Gold Cup Day on March 5.

There he will join two other Jamaican horses which raced here successfully, Latonia and Uram, who did not perform well in their only start to date at the Garrison Savannah grass track. Those for which the $300 final subscription was paid for the Royal Colours Classic are: Crown Point; Flying Millie; Kylie Wylie; Lord Arazi; Luann’s Passion; Prince Charming; The Night Man. And those for which third and final subscription of $200 were paid for the Starlight Stakes are: Chief Commander; Golden Honour; Isle Be True; Man Of Class; Mucho Tempo; Pave The Way; Phantom Menace; Punto A Punto; Smooth Operator; Top Of The Class; and Undisputed.