Harding for ‘Fantastic’ ride

ALL NINE runners who have set their sights on the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Stakes at entry stage on Monday have stood their ground at  declaration stage yesterday to compete in the 1600 metres Turf contest. The nine-strong field has an abundance of talent. The cast drawn from the top league is headed by “Horse of the Year” Sugar Mike, and includes Champion Imported Sprinter Cash Wager.

Also aiming for a sip of the Champagne is Invincibility, one of three runners who won nominations for the imported sprint crown and Miss Lover Lover,  among the contenders in the imported stayers’ battle and also the over champion title race at this year’s Jetsam Awards. Top Of The Class, the triple crown winner of 2003 and the current Champion West Indian Bred Stayer will represent the local breeding industry in the Grade Two event, with Barbadian bred Mandela, assigned with the pennystamp weight of 45.5 kilos adding spice to top the contest.

And the interesting line-up doesn’t stop there as it also includes tried and tested runners Dottie’s Way, Outswinger and the progressive Fantastic Story, who will be partnered by Champion Jockey Brian Harding. Harding, whose name has become synonymous with Sugar Mike, having formed a formidable partnership with the Bertwin Samlalsingh-owned six-year-old  the past two seasons was enticed with a retainer fee from a leading Caribbean owner to ride at Caymanas Park, Jamaica.

The seven-time title holder who scored 53 wins last year is expected to fly in today for his assignment aboard the Grant Lourenco-trained four-year-old, whom he tasted success with last month before deciding to take his whip and gears overseas. Harding took four bookings for Saturday’s 10-race card, which attracted a total of 94 horses. Wilmer Galviz will have the leg up on Sugar Mike’s in the grass contest.

Following are the framed races, entries, weights and jockeys for the entire card.
RACE 1: (12.15pm) IMPORTED 3 Y.O & OVER MAIDENS - PURSE $23,000 - 1300 METRES.
1. FLORIDA FLAME - 54.5 - J. STEPHEN, 2. BOLD DIPLOMAT - 51.5 - E. RAMSAMMY, 3. MISS REAL QUIET - 53.5 - F. RAZACK, 4. KAVITA NADIRA - 51.5 - S. RODRIGO, 5. BLUE REIGN - 54.5 - C. JADOO, 6. PREMIER ATTRACTION - 56.5 - J. ARNEAUD, 7. SPARKLING HALO - 45.5 - R. JADOO, 8. SKY STORM RISING - 52.5 - R. SINGH.

RACE 2: (12.48pm) 3 Y.O & OVER OPTIONAL CLAIMING ($20,000 - $16,000) - W I BRED 4 Y.O & OVER NON-WINNERS OF FIVE RACES - $20,000 - 1300 METRES.
1. V FOR VICTORY - 46.5 - R. SINGH, 2. RENAISSANCE MAN - 56.5 - R. SINGH, 3. FRANCESCA - 48.5 - N. SAMAROO, 4. SEATTLE SUE - 54.5 - G. LABAN, 5. CHIEF COMMANDER - 56.5 - E. RAMSAMMY, 6. YASHODA - 54.5 - H. EMAMALIE, 7. CITY OF LIGHTS - 55.5 - C. JADOO.

RACE 3: (1.22pm) RESTRICTED HANDICAP - W I BRED 3 Y.O & OVER AND IMPORTED 3 Y.O & OVER - PURSE $22,000 - 1750 METRES.
1. MORGAN HERITAGE - 47.5 - N. MOHAMMED, 2. MILLENNIUM REIGN - 56.5 - J. STEPHEN, 3. SQUEE ZINTRU - 47.5 - G. LABAN, 4. MAID OF HONOUR - 45.0 - R. MANGALEE, 5. SUPREMELY-SATISFIED - 52.5 - E. RAMSAMMY, 6. SUPER GREY - 56.5 - B. HARDING, 7. ROYAL MISS - 52.5 - R. THOMAS.

RACE 4: (1.56pm) W I BRED 4 Y.O & OVER NON-WINNERS OF TWO RACES - PURSE $18,000 - 1200 METRES.
1. SUNSET - 53.5 - S. RODRIGO, 2. ATICKA - 54.5 - E. RAMSAMMY, 3. BANDIKOOT - 55.5 - B. HARDING, 4. SWEET N’ BEAUTIFUL - 51.5 - A. STEPHEN, 5. FANTASTIC LAD - 48.5 - C. JADOO, 6. ALL SET TO BATTLE - 54.5 - J. ARNEAUD, 7. 2SHARP - 56.5 - G. LABAN, 8. FLYING EAGLE - 52.5 - N. ABREGO.

RACE 5: (2.30pm) ALLOWANCE W I BRED 3 Y.O & OVER WINNERS AND IMPORTED 3 Y.O & OVER - PURSE $26,000 - 1300 METRES.
1. COPY CAT - 45.5 - A. STEPHEN, 2. GHOST MEADOW - 50.5 - F. RAZACK, 3. FABULOUS RISK - 48.5 - E. RAMSAMMY, 4. MAN OF CLASS - 53.5 - G. LABAN, 5. LIT D’AMOUR - 56.5 - S. RODRIGO, 6. SUN SPLASH - 41.5 - R. JADOO.

RACE 6: (3.06pm) W I BRED 3 Y.O MAIDENS - PURSE $22,000 - 1100 METRES (TURF).
1. UP ABOVE - 54.5 - J. STEPHEN, 2. BRILLIANT STAR - 56.5 - J. ARNEAUD, 3. REALLY QUIET - 54.5 - N. ABREGO, 4. LAURALEE INFLIGHT - 512.5 - G. LABAN, 5. UNFORGIVABLE - 52.5 - S. RODRIGO, 6. DUCHESS LAURALEE - 50.5 - D. GAFF, 7. HOLLYWOOD HEIDI - 54.5 - R. JADOO, 8. LORD ARAZI - 52.5 - W. GALVIZ, 9. RUN MANI RUN - 55.5 - N. CHADEE.

RACE 7: (3.44pm) 3 Y.O & OVER OPTIONAL CLAIMING ($14,000 - $11,000_ W I BRED 4 Y.O NON-WINNERS OF THREE RACES; W I BRED 5 Y.O NON-WINNERS OF FOUR AND W I BRED 6 Y.O & OVER - PURSE $19,000 - 1200 METRES.
1. REDOUBLED - 51.5 - W. GALVIZ, 2. DEALER’S CHOICE - 54.5 - J. ARNEAUD, 3. SUNDAY JEWEL - 49.5 - G. LABAN, 4. REIGN OF FIRE - 54.5 - R. MANGALEE, 5. LAURA’S BOY - 56.5 - E. RAMSAMMY, 6. MURPHY’S LAW - 54.5 - R. JADOO, 7. LADY SECRET - 54.5 - J. STEPHEN, 8. DUE DILLIGENCE - 51.5 - R. RAJKUMAR, 9. HATRICK - 53.5 - N. MOHAMMED, 10. SECOND CHANCES - 56.5 - R. PERSAD, 11. THE CHAIRMAN - 48.5 - R. SINGH, 12. ICHIBAN - 53.5 - B. HARDING, JAVA IN STYLE - 56.5 - A. STEPHEN.

RACE 8: (4.22pm) 3 Y.O & OVER OPTIONAL CLAIMING ($7,500 - $6,500) - W I BRED 4 Y.O MAIDENS; W I BRED 5 Y.O NON-WINNERS OF TWO RACES AND W I BRED 6 Y.O & OVER - PURSE $17,000 - 1350 METRES.
1. PICTURE PERFECT - 53.5 - N. MOHAMMED, 2. RETURN TO GLORY - 51.5 - R. SINGH, 3. ADORING RUBY - 51.5 - R. RAJKUMAR, 4. POLITICS - 51.5 - G. LABAN, 5. BOUND TO DOT COM - 55.5 - C. JADOO, 6. WILD LIFE - 54.5 - R. JADOO, 7. ROMANTIC DANCING - 51.5 - W. GALVIZ, 8. RUNAWAY ROCKET - 52.5 - J. STEPHEN, 9. ERIN DANCER - 48.5 - S. RODRIGO, 10. IMASEKHA - 53.5 - H. EMAMALIE, 11. BEAUTIFUL MIND - 55.5 - A. STEPHEN, 12. BOLD FAPP - 55.5 - E. RAMSAMMY, 13. DARE TO DREAM - 51.5 - S. SINGH, 14. JUSTICE - 45.5 - R. THOMAS, 15. HUNDRED PERCENT - 50.5 - R. RAGOONATH, 16. CAREFREE - 51.5 - N. SAMAROO.

RACE 9: (5.00pm) VEUVE CLICQUOT PONSARDIN CHAMPAGNE STAKES (GRADE 11) ) (OPEN) - PURSE $75,000 - 1600 METRES (TURF).
1. CASH WAGER - 53.0 - E. RAMSAMMY, 2. FANTASTIC STORY - 53.5 - B. HARDING, 3. MISS LOVER LOVER - 56.5 - R. RAJKUMAR, 4. DOTTIE’S WAY - 50.5 - S. RODRIGO, 5. INVINCIBILITY - 56.0 - R. JADOO, 6. SUGAR MIKE - 56.5 - W. GALVIZ, 7. OUTSWINGER - 53.5 - J. STEPHEN, 8. TOP OF THE CLASS - 54.5 - G. LABAN, 9. MANDELA - 45.5 - N. MOHAMMED.

RACE 10: (5.30pm) 3 Y.O & OVER OPTIONAL CLAIMING ($10,500 - $8,500) - W I BRED 4 Y.O NON-WINNERS OF TWO RACES; W I BRED 5 Y.O NON-WINNERS OF THREE, AND W I BRED 6 Y.O - PURSE $18,000 - 1750 METRES.
1. NEW STAR - 53.5 - W. GALVIZ, 2. BADPAYJAMESEE - 51.5 - J. ARNEAUD, 3. CREME CARAMEL - 534.5 - N. SAMAROO, 4. BALTHAZAR - 52.5 - G. LABAN, 5. TEA TIME DOC - 56.5 - C. JADOO, 6. EL GUERROUJ - 50.5 - N. MOHAMMED, 7. COMANCHERO - 56.5 - N. ABREGO, 8. NOBLEMAN - 56.5 - N. MANGALEE, 9. INDIAN DECISION - 50.5 - K. CHANDLER, 10. EVIL KNEEVLE - 56.5 - V. CHARLES, 11. ENTERTAINER - 52.5 - R. JADOO.