Punters on cue on FCB New Year’s Day card

PUNTERS were on the ball with their selections on New Year’s Day, giving favouritism to seven winners on the First Citizens Bank 10-race card at Santa Rosa Park, Arima. The large crowd in attendance got their act together as early as the opener, when prohibitive odds-on favourite Arts And Lovers scored her sixth win from seven starts, the fifth in a row. This Harold Chadee-owned and trained filly stayed with the early pace and when the first question was popped by champion jockey Brian Harding at the top of the straight answered readily for an easy seven-and-a-half length win. Silver Bullet then had to weave through some traffic to make it two-for-two for the most fancied runners. The Balkrishen Sagan Maharaj-owned grey colt on getting some daylight at the head of the stretch ran on strongly under the urging of rider Ricardo Jadoo.

Freshman kept the sequence going for the market leaders. The son of Freshly Squeezed/Top Priority, making his debut, never gave his backers any cause for worry. And he looked like something special as he kept his momentum  after seizing the lead with Jamaican apprentice Paul Francis astride. The win was the first of a quartet on the card for trainer Grant Lourenco, who sent in Pave The Way soon after to keep the backers of favourites happy. The party was then spoilt by young and under-rated trainer Christopher Prime who saddled Lady Secret at odds of 19/1. Raymond Ganpath brought this dark bay filly from the back of the pack to score cheekily. Emile Ramsammy with a well-judged ride scored a second for outsiders when Phantom Menace overturned the odds place on Guardian Gold Cup runner-up Top Of The Class, who failed to menace and finished last of eight runners  in the 1800 metres First Citizens Bank Caribbean Turf Championship, which was switched to the main sand course. Ramsammy brought all  his experience into play to just edge last year’s Royal Oak Derby winner Mucho Tempo on the line.

Unable to use his whip with his right hand entering the stretch run, Ramsammy quickly switched his bat to the left, and although his six-year-old mount which last raced in April was responding, he conjured up one final thrust by some powerful driving. Getdjobdone showed that he is destined for the top class and would be a force with which to be reckoned later this season. The Jack Debideen-trained three-year-old son of Louis Quatorze/In And Out surprisingly sent off as the 1/2 fancy, was kept in the shade the pacemakers. And the colt which cost owner Junior Sammy a tidy sum, was bumped and had to be checked in the backstretch. But when Ricardo Jadoo got him going again he raced up to join Ghost Meadow at the top of  the straight and made the top weight of 56.5 kilos look like a pennystamp on his back, galloping clear to keep his unbeaten record from his two starts. Redoubled was then brought with a wet sail by Ramsammy to add another for the popular choice horses.

This noted front runner, was waited with by his Canada-based rider in the 1100 metres event, who weaved his way through some mild traffic coming home to win with something in hand. Twice Infallible then put a frown on the face of turfites who were snapping up short-priced favourites, but put a smile on the face of owner Junior Sammy and trainer Lourenco, by making every yard of the running to capture the Frist Citizens Bank Sian’s Gold Sprint Handicap, the day’s $75,000 feature event on the 10-race programme sponsored by the bank. The all-the-way win under jockey Haniff Emamalie was the third on the day for Sammy, who earlier visited the charmed winners’ circle with Pave The Way and Getdjobdone. This victory gave Lourenco, a four-timer, which started with Freshman  in the third race, and continued with Pave The Way and Phantom Menace in races four and six. Entertainer then sent favourite-backers home with more of the $1.6 million wagered on the opening day of the new season. Under a strong ride by Harding (B), Entertainer wore down Badpayjamesee to score by a neck and so deny rising apprentice Neela Mohammed his first victory.