JUST HOW GOOD a creole is Sirius Black?
The answer to that could be that he is presently the best in the country, and the David Bynoe-owned five-year-old gelding can give further testimony to his qualities come March 7 when he competes in the 34th running of the Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup at the Garrison Savannah.
His record of eight wins, six seconds and one third place finish from 19 starts compares favourably with most. While he does not have a fan club following comparable to that of Coo Bird and Apostle, his performances, especially in the last two years, have been exemplary.
Last year alone he won three of his eight starts and recorded four second place finishes.
This son of Antigone Jane out of Janak is an exceptionally good creole who is yet to reach his full potential, and champion trainer Victor Cheeseman will be seeking to fill the missing link in Sirius Black’s résumé by adding this year’s Gold Cup.
His versatility is another endearing quality, as he can run from any position and has won at all distances he has competed at with the exception of ten furlongs. He is the kind of horse that jockeys dream of riding every day and, based on his form, he will likely be among the favourites for the pattern event.
The Gold Cup is not won based on popularity as the supporters of those above mentioned grand creoles found out, although in fairness to them, they were both beaten by superior machines on each occasion.
The year 1997 saw a change of sponsorship from Cockspur Rum to Sandy Lane Hotel and after 15 years of importeds dominating the race, a locally bred creole (Incitatus) wrote his name in the history books, winning the prestigious event under the guidance of trainer Challenor “Chally” Jones. That win for Jones was doubly historic as Incitatus is the only Gold Cup winner to date that has also won the Barbados Derby.
Jones again raised the bar for the local breeding industry the following year, this time saddling Federico for owner Richard Edwards. Gay Smith’s Zoom became the third creole to take the event, having benefited from an amended result after the running of the 2011 race which saw Show Me The Money pass the post first.
Sirius Black’s camp is very confident of his chances when the gates open and once Lady Luck bestows some magic upon him he will have a say in the final outcome.
He possesses a big heart, and the grit and determination necessary to win such an event. His pilot will have to match him in every department and out-think the other riders, a couple of whom are in an elite league. Sirius Black will have to make the most of the creole seven-pound advantage in this confrontation against the American duo of Gentleman’s Kitten and Sayler’s Creek.
Additionally, he will have to turn the tables on the local king Just A Fashion, whom he failed to catch by the shortest of heads in their final prep run – the Coolmore Home Of Champions Stakes over the Gold Cup trip of 1 800 metres.