Pave The Way proves a class act

PAVE THE WAY proved his undoubted class, easily beating his nine rivals in the feature Royal Colours Classic for three-year-olds at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, yesterday. With the leaders early on in the 1350 metres race, formerly the Whitsun Classic, Junior Sammy’s colt appeared to have a lot to do when apparently boxed-in as Melanie My Love took the lead from stablemate Salsa Moves 600 metres out and scooted into a clear lead. But champion jockey Brian Harding managed to extricate the Grant Lourenco-trained Freshly Squeezed/Smoothawn offspring from his delicate position and sent him in pursuit of the leaders. Once seeing daylight, Pave The Way accelerated with an electrifying burst and quickly put Melanie My Love in her place for his fourth win in five starts, finishing second in the other.

Barbados-bred Over And Above who was an early backmarker ran on very well to get third, and Euro Star who finished very fast was fourth.
Lourenco made it a trainer’s double earlier, when his charge Phantom Menace came to win the Starlight Stakes over 1350 metres at the death. In mid-division throughout, jockey Ricardo Jadoo saw Man Of Class get first run from 300 metres out. But he brought “The Menace” with a swooping run to just get home by a neck in the smart time of 1:20.41 seconds. Apart from Lourenco, no other trainer managed to saddle more than one winner. And Jadoo was the leading rider of the day also with two winning rides. Favourites obliged throughout the day except for the final race won by Storming Wind to reward backers with $20.70 and $6.10 on the tote.

Another surprise winner was Poetry who paid $18.90 and $5.20 on the tote and with Lovely Pearl and Return To Glory finishing behind her, the trifecta payout was $2,081.40 and with fourth placed Kent’s Delight, the superfecta was also best of the day - $2,675.10. Racing takes a holiday on Saturday.  Next race day is March 27 with an Allowance event over 1100 metres on the turf course being the feature worth $26,000.