HASAN (left), ridden by Kerry Gayle-Robinson, sweps past long-time leader WHEELS OF LAW (Everton Bennett) to win the Cash Pot Kent Trophy for the claiming grpup $270,000 - $240,000 over 1300 metres at Caymanas Park last Saturday. HASAN was a 7-1 winner. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
The Royal Dad Trophy, run in honour of the 1981 Triple Crown winner and 'Horse of the Year', is the feature event at Caymanas Park today and this should provide keen competition among the nine horses declared.
Meanwhile, the card will also facilitate nine Breeders' Cup races on simulcast from Santa Anita in California, including the meet's showpiece event, the Breeders' Cup Classic over 10 furlongs. The field includes America's leading all-time stakes winning horse CURLIN, unbeaten CASINO DRIVE, as well as RAVEN'S PASS and GO BETWEEN.
The Royal Dad Trophy, which is run over 2000 metres, the same distance over which Royal Dad met his untimely death on October 16, 1982 after winning the Governor General's Stakes, should see REGAL SELECTION, HOMBRE, EVANDER and LOVINGGOOD in contention where it matters.
The race is open to both native and imported three-year-olds and up, so in addition to the above-mentioned native bred horses, the field also includes SIR MATTHEW, an American bred four-year-old colt who ran encouragingly on his recent debut behind EVANDER and PLATINUM VALLEY, who was 5-3/4 lengths fifth (late headway) to GOOD CITIZEN in the $1 million CTL Imported Stakes over 1400 metres on September 20.
Native-bred horses
While SIR MATTHEW and PLATINUM VALLEY are expected to figure prominently, victory will more than likely go to one of the four native-bred horses.
The Noel Ennevor-trained gelding HOMBRE bids for a hat-trick of wins, having scored easily over this trip on June 21 and last time out getting up on the line to deny FIRST LADY in the Royal Crest Trophy over 1200 metre on October 1.
A lightly raced sort, HOMBRE represents the speed horse and will have to be caught.
Still, the one best equipped to pull it off must be REGAL SELECTION, to again be ridden by in-form jockey Richie Mitchell for trainer Morris Powell.
The three-year-old colt looked the part when slamming previous winner SPACEMAN over 1500 metres when last raced on September 27, covering the distance in the good time of 1:32.3.
Prior to that he finished a close up third to MININISTEROFJUSTICE and MR. BLAIR in separate races, but was a fast-time winner from MINISTEROFJUSTICE over 1400 metres on August 6, clocking 1:25.3.
Too strong
Having looked sharp at exercise in preparation for this trophy, REGAL SELECTION should prove too strong for HOMBRE and EVANDER in the closing stages. The son of Natural Selection - Chie Liu Poo will have no problems with the distance and returns on the convenient mark of 53.5kg as well.
Other firm fancies on the card are the front running WHEELS OF LAW in the third race, COURT YARD in the fourth, MY THUNDER in the fifth, QUEEN OF MY HEART in the seventh and FELICIDAD over DIGI 'N' JIGGY in the eighth.