Sugar Mike still one to beat

THE way to the top prize in the Group 2 feature Santa Rosa Dash will be through Sugar Mike. Grant Lourenco’s charge is wearing a fine coat again, and the manner in which the son of Ponche/No Sugar has been carrying himself on the gallops suggests that he is back to the condition and form which won him back-to-back “Horse of the Year” titles. Beaten in his last two starts, the handicappers must now come off the “big weight’’ of 60.5 kilos, and once going to post at level weights with his previous conquerors, stablemate Fantastic Story and Cash Wager would take some beating.

But this 1200 metres race promises to be a real scorcher, with Fabulous Risk, Lit D’Amour, Miss Lover Lover, Rebel Music, Twice Infallible and Getdjobdone, for which a penalty was paid, holding the engagement. Also entered in the event are Invincibility, Cash Wager and Man Of Class who cannot be taken lightly. But in the current condition and form, it will pay to stick with Sugar Mike to show his class.

The Fillies Guineas, the Gleneagle Stakes over 1800 metres should be a match-race between Flying Millie, winner of the Trinidad Trophies Limited Trophy Ibis Stakes over 1350 metres and Arts And Lovers. The Jack Debideen-trained Jamaican-bred filly was a neck ahead of the two-year-old princess, but racing over a longer trip now, Arts And Lovers should hold the advantage. The eight other fillies holding this engagement could well be ignored in this race.