The Night Man to cast ‘Royal’ shadow

THE NIGHT MAN is a class act and is given the vote to give trainer Cyril “Greypatch” Arneaud a first success in the Royal Colours Classic, feature race on the Arima Race Club Day 6 programme at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, today. Dr Ravi Ramjanac forked out $132,000 to acquire the three-year-old at the 2003 Stud Farm Association Yearling Sales, and he began repaying that debt immediately, with an emphatic victory in his only start as a juvenile. The son of Gilgamesh/Crescendo was brought out for the Guardian Life St James Stakes at the back end of last season, and won in the fashion of a champion.

He was most impressive in that 1,350 metres race for colts and geldings, tracking the pacemakers until given his head between the 600 and 400-metre markers, and swooped past his more experienced rivals with a minimum of effort to win by a widening 10 1/4 lenghts from Crown Point who he meets again, only this time The Night Man is asked to give away three kilos. The time of 1:22.3 for the race was almost two seconds faster than that of the champion two-year-old of 2004, Arts And Lovers in the fillies division, the Guardian Life St Ann’s Stakes. That performance did not go unnoticed and won him nomination for a Jetsam Award, which he took home at last month’s function held at the Hilton Trinidad, the champion two-year-old colt/gelding. Trainer Arneaud thinks very highly of his star and said earlier this week  his charge is a cut above his age group at present.

And The Night Man also sent a signal that he is ready for combat by matching strides with the speedy Isle Be True over 800 metres in 49.3 seconds on Sunday last, and looks the one they all have to beat in today’s seven-horse field. Flying Millie could be the main danger. This Jamaican-bred filly finished a close second to Arts And Lovers in her final appearance last season in the Guardian Life St Ann’s Stakes after a poor start. Though she rallied well late and was regarded an unlucky loser, the time for the event did not match up to our top choice over course and distance, same day, and may have to fight out for the runner-up spot with Crown Point. Man Of Class has been in good niche at the moment and the Walter Debysingh-trained seven-year-old should carry his winning form into the Starlight Stakes for West Indies-bred four-year-olds and over travelling the same distance.

Phantom Menace came off an eight-month lay-off to spring a surprise in the First Citizens Bank Caribbean Turf Championship on New Year’s Day and could provide some opposition with Top Of The Class the other fancy. Today’s programme is being promoted as a marriage of racing and culture, and would be paying tribute to three great son of the soil. Emile Ramsammy who is currently based in Canada, will be honoured, along with pannists Ray Holman and Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, composer/arranger of Panorama champions Petrotrin Phase II Pan Groove. Ramsammy who won the 1996 and 1997 Soverign Award as Canada’s most outstanding jockey, will have the Starter Allowance race named after him. And all the other races with the exception of the Starlight Stakes will carry names of compositions by Boogsie and Holman.