Champion trainer Victor Cheeseman holds the strongest hand going into this year’s Triple Crown series, which starts on Saturday at the Garrison Savannah during the 64th Barbados Guineas Raceday.
The second day of the Barbados Turf Club’s second season will see nine races on the card rolling off from 1:30 p.m.
When the pattern event comes around – the first jewel of the Barbados Triple Crown – the Grade I Barbados Guineas for West Indian-bred three-year-olds over 1 570 metres, Cheeseman can again etch his name in history by joining trainer Freddie Thirkell as the second person to train a hat-trick of Guineas winners.
His successes came with Aston Martin, 2012, and Nekitta last year, while Thirkell achieved his feat between 1971 and 1973 with Spahi, Dilemma and Watersmeet. Cheeseman’s strong quartet includes Princess Di, Aquatic Star, Voldemort and John Vere, all of whom are expected to start at short prices in the betting.
They have all won at the trip with the standouts being Princess Di, who impressively won the Grandstand Posse Barbados Fillies Guineas, and John Vere, who walked off with the Michael Parravicino Memorial Hopeful Breeders’ Stakes and Trophy.
This $54 750 purse event will not only be about Cheeseman, as the hot favourite, Nobel Intent, will race in the silks of his owner and trainer John D. Chandler, who is seeking his first Classic success.
Trainer Andrew Nunes could say the racing bug has caught up with him as his unbeaten super filly Kariba Rose will remain indoors for sometime as a result of an injury. Nunes had success in this event back in 2004 – Lady Constance, 2007 – Apostle, and then in 2011 – Slip Stream.
Come Saturday, his sole hope will rest with Kariba Rose’s stablemate Corvette, who is also a winner at the trip. Corvette took the Diamonds International/Vena D’Amore Creole two-year-old Stakes. Boston John is the only other trainer who has enjoyed Classic success, as back in 2008 his filly, Fresh Milk, brought thrills to her connections when taking the event.
John will be represented by the filly Lavani, who is yet to win at the trip but won impressively when losing her maiden tag. Other trainers seeking first time Guineas glory are Jonathon Simpson, William Clarke, Anderson Ward and Neil Brathwaite.
Simpson will be represented by In The Pink, who won the William C. “Bill” Marshall Memorial two-year-old Creole Classic over the trip; Clarke will send out Belly Dancer, a recent winner when sprinting, and the maiden filly, Kamazeta, while Ward’s hopes lie with the gelding Conway. Brathwaite will look to Super Cavalier to get the job done.
From a modern day jockey’s perspective, seven-time champion jockey Anderson Trotman has won thrice on Lady Constance, Apostle and Aston Martin. Trotman, who recently took the Bubba’s Sunday Buffet Breakfast Jockey Challenge’s first season honours, will partner Corvette.
