Lord Michael Taylor stretched his lead in the owners category at the end of the just concluded Barbados Turf Club’s second racing season.
Having led the first season with earnings of $261 408 with 11 winners, the Blue Diamond Stable had, what could be considered consistently for a few years now, another modest season.
Yet, noticeably, the other powerhouses fared even worse.
Blue Diamond Stable, under trainer Anderson Ward, picked up another 12 winners during the second season for earnings of $195 018, doubling its closest rival in both wins and money earned.
The stable endured a horrendous run in stakes races, but success finally returned on the penultimate day when Vitality won the BTBA Breeders’ Sprint Stakes and Trophy over 1 100 metres.
Averaging just over one win per day and with most of this operation’s runners having been tried and tested, their top rated stock is lacking firepower.
Looking in the crystal ball, only the filly Daga, who has been winless in more than a year, stands out. Overall, they now sit on 23 winners and earnings of $457 326.
Sir David Seale sits in the second position with second season returns of five winners and earnings of $65 365.
Under trainer Liz Deane, the above returns work out to a win every two race days. Most of the above figures were earned by Dancin David, who won the Amstel Cup over 2 000 metres on an upgrade, having earlier taken the Lost In The Fog Handicap for horses rated 115-140 over 1 800 metres.
Overall, in the championship table, the Hopefield Stable has won ten races for earnings of $297 095. The crystal ball shows Dancin David destined for the top and Aristodemus looks an exciting prospect.
Sir Charles Williams continues to hold down the third position in this category but would not be pleased with his second season returns, having won a solitary race where his charges earned $65 274.
Champion trainer Andrew Nunes is in charge at this Kendal Racing outfit.
One win from ten race days will raise several questions of this outfit which handles the likes of Apostle, Kendal Moon and Vapour Trail, who won the Barbados Fillies Guineas over 1 570 metres.
The latter duo clearly have a place in the crystal ball’s future reading, while Apostle at age nine appears solid like the Rock of Gibraltar – won’t be moved. Overall, Sir Charles’s horses have won nine races for earnings of $205 445.
Gay Smith rounds out the top four with three winners and season earnings of $57 918. With an average of a win every three race days, the Springhead operation, under trainer Edward Walcott Jr, was able to hold off the mid-pack contenders in this category.
Overall, they have accumulated nine winners and earnings of $201 773.
Zoom is their only star performer and there is a call for stars to set tongues wagging.
The most impactful owners who didn’t make the top four were H and M, with their colt Shared Adventure, and X and X Inc., with the filly Summer Time.
