Crown Point headed for triple landing

The manner in which the Freshly Squeezed/Bands O’Gold three-year-old crushed his field on Monday, on the Union Park Turf Club Indian Arrival Day programme at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, showed he is very much on the road.

Previous to his ridiculously easy seven-and-a-half victory in the UPTC Guineas, the Glenn Mendez-trained gave the impression that the further the trip the better.

This was evidenced when Peter Hackett’s chestnut colt strode to victory over the impressive Prince Charming, a pervious winner, by a convincing 9 3/4 lengths.

That very good Jamaican-bred filly Flying Millie looked the likely three-year-old star when she twice beat Arts And Lovers, the last time by one-and-a-half lengths over the Guineas trip of 1800 metres.

But on Monday she was made to look very ordinary when Venezuelan jockey Wilmer Galviz cruised past 300 metres out and without much urging accelerated and left Flying Millie for dead.

He was sent to post favourite for the Guineas and when Galviz asked him for his effort, backers had no bother as the colt bred at Smithfield Farm in sister isle Tobago and named after the airport by breeders Ainsley Mark and Hackett responded readily. Now the three-year-olds will be going 1900 metres in the Midsummer Classic on July 2 and then on to the Royal Oak Derby come September.

Granted Arts And Lovers was not in Monday’s field, there seems none to stop Crown Point, so long as he remains sound.

Generally, Monday’s 10-race programme provided several thrilling finishes with the one to standout being the clever ride of young apprentice Gary Laban in landing Champagne Wager over ex-champion and vastly experienced Emile Ramsammy, astride pre-race favourite Kato.

The young rider appeared to outfox Ramsammy, back home from Canada for another short stint.

He sent his mount into the lead 600 metres out, and when Ramsammy brought Kato to challenge, Laban kept his nerve and drove Champagne Wager to the wire to win by a head.

The standard of jockeyship displayed by the apprentices must be pleasing to turfites and the authorities, as Joshua Stephen produced another brilliant ride for his mount Miss Lover Lover to hold off Fantastic Story ridden by current champion jockey Brian Harding, who came in from riding at Caymanas Park, Jamaica.

Still further, was the creditable ride of Christopher Jadoo in scoring astride Isle Be There in the day’s opener.