Bajans coming for Independence Cup Derby

BARBADOS champion stayer Feet On Flames will make another attempt to win the Sagicor Independence Cup.

The colt owned by Luther Miller and trained by Eddie Greenidge will lead a three-pronged attack on the event to be run off on September 1 over 1,850 metres on the turf course. Arima Race Club racing secretary Robin Jaising, just back from a visit to the land of the flying fish, managed to lure not only Feet On Flames, but Hard Dancer, which is owned by Sir Charles Williams and trained by MA Nunes and Lion Country, owned by CTA Stables SRL and trained by JM Cozier as well. Should these horses face the starter at the Arima Race Club Independence Day programme, owners will be looking at a $200,000 purse to share. According to conditions of the event, the race will be worth $75,000 if there is no horse from either Barbados or Jamaica in the field, but if one “foreign” runner is in the field the purse will mount to $100,00 and will go to $200,000 with two or more foreigners in the race. But Jaisingh did not stop there, and the owners of Sweet Dreams, winner of the Mid-Summer Classic last month, Ginger Bay and Royal Red, third and fourth in the same race, have decided to challenge leading local contender Top of The Class for the Royal Oak Derby over 2,000 metres on September 24.

Sweet Dreams is owned by Derek Crowson and trained by ex-champion jockey Chally Jones, while Ginger Bay is owned by veteran horseman Sir David Seale and trained by Robert Pierce.  Royal Red is owned by the Turf 2000 Syndicate and trained by Naz Issa. But before this, the three Bajan runners will line up in the Barbados United Derby on Saturday. Following their Derby run, the horses will be shipped to Trinidad and have a prep race at Santa Rosa Park on September 1. The Independence Day event for West Indies-bred three-year-olds will be over 17,590 metres, which will allow the Bajans to get a feel of the main track ahead of the Royal Oak Derby classic. The three runners for the Independence Cup will also be in action on Saturday at the Garrison Savannah.