Sugar Mike remains in training

A decision to the effect was taken by connections who met recently to discuss the future of the six-year-old American-bred bay horse.

The son of Ponche/No Sugar was the subject of much controversy about his fitness before lining up for the Guardian Holdings Gold Cup on Boxing Day holiday, December 27 last.

Following a superb victory in the 1200 metres B Mobile Stewards’ Cup, his only victory last year, turfites installed the Bertwin "Mike" Samlalsingh-owned champion as favourite for the Gold Cup over 2000 metres, a distance which better suits him.

But he made little impression in the race won by triple crown and Champion Stakes star of 2003, Top Of The Class, who is a strong contender to succeed the "Sugar Dandy" as Horse of the Year for 2005.

Grant Lourenco’s charge has been nominated for the 1800 metres Arima Race Club Cup Handicap to be run off on March 11 at Santa Rosa Park, Arima.

And young handler Lourenco expressed the opinion that his three-year-old Bluff Bid who had two starts last season as a juvenile, will be better suited to "two turns." He said the son of Freshly Squeezed/Concordia who was third in the 1350 metres Guardian Life St James Stakes behind All For Java and Jacobite, is improving rapidly and should be heard from over the longer distances.

Meanwhile, at the recent First Citizens Jockey Championship on New Year’s Day holiday Monday last week, the Canadian duo of female rider Julia Brimo and Trinidad and Tobago-born Richard Dos Ramos claimed the winners’ purse of $2,000 with a tally of 23 points.

Runners-up were the Barbados pair of Patrick Husbands and Jonathan Jones, while the TT Foreign-based duo of Brian Harding, the new Jamaica Jockeys Champion and Raymond Ganpath were third. The South Americans national jockey king Wilmer Galviz and Nobel Abrego were next, with TT Locals Ricky Jadoo and champion apprentice Joshua Stephen finished fifth and O’Neil Mullings and Dane Nelson sixth.

It is to be noted Barbadian ap-prentice Christopher Husbands copped the $100 prize offered by Little Woods Food Limited (Country House Products) for the best ride by an apprentice on Boxing Day when he Salsa Moves home by a neck to beat Second Chances in the Guardian Asset Restricted Handicap over 1200 metres.

The young Barbadian rider also took home the prize for his ride on Ntive Love on the previous race day, also scoring a neck victory over Wild Life in the 1750 metres Personal Decision optional claiming race.