THERE?WAS?PLENTY of drama when the Barbados Turf Club rolled out its second season of racing in splendid style with the Historic Bridgetown and Its Garrison Race Day at the Garrison Savannah yesterday. Â
Istanbul, smoothly ridden by Jockey Jonathon Grant and going off at generous odds, 6-1, denied Sea Gypsy and Antonio Whitehall the feature St Ann’s Garrison Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 78-100 and also open to horses rated 77 and below over 1 570 metres.
Owned by Lord Michael Taylor and trained by Anderson Ward, the Thady Quill colt out of Sky Beauty saw no early competition for the lead after he left the gates. Zaltarr, Sea Gypsy, Little Man Arran, Erados and Fusaichi Ridge were ahead for most of the journey while others struggled on the soft track.
With two furlongs to go, Sea Gypsy engaged the leader for the lead and these two battled to the finish where Istanbul gave his all to prevail by a neck.
Zaltarr, ridden by Ricky Walcott, ran a nice race to take the third spot, with Island Memories under Reshaun Latchman securing fourth.
Apprentice Antonio Perch stole the show as he recorded three wins and dead-heated another. The former Parkinson student first logged a workmanlike victory on Juta Thorpe-owned Uneverno for trainer Philip Batson in the Queens Park Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 30-55 and also open to horses rated 29 and below over 1 800 metres.
Perch’s next two races were filled with all the day’s drama. First, he piloted Sir David Seale-owned Reward Me to a four-and-a-half-length victory in the Parliament Buildings Of Barbados Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 53-75 and also open to horses rated 52 and below over 1 800 metres.
In that race, the Hopefield Stables finished one-two with Proud Bajan second, but the connections – including trainer Stephen Bynoe – had to survive an objection lodged by an unplaced horse. After lengthy deliberation the results were allowed to stand.
More drama followed immediately as Perch, on Tiny Tot for owner Stephen Kellman, and Latchman on Who’s Calling, riding for the A Team, flashed past the post together in the Cheapside Gardens Handicap for four-year-old and older horses rated 0-35, over 1 100 metres.
There was some confusion when Tiny Tot was announced the unofficial winner but moments later patrons heard that the photo-finish camera had malfunctioned and therefore the official results were declared a dead heat.
Riding like a man possessed, Perch then took matters into his own hands as his meticulously guided Blue Diamond Stable colt Royal Spirit to a commanding win in the curtain-closer Lord Nelson Statue Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 45-70 and also open to horses rated 44 and below over 1 100 metres.
