Fayrouz safe as Fort Knox
TOMORROW’S SUNRISE-6 again begins at the second event on a very competitive 11-race programme. Nine three-year-old maidens will face the starter in Race Two over 2000 metres and EMPRESS NICOLE will be hard to beat.
Trained by former top-rated jockey Fitzroy Glispie, EMPRESS NICOLE, in just her third start, placed third by half-a-length to Gift of Law over the distance on April 15. She comes back welltrained for her fourth start and should not be denied. The form of the April 15 race is working out very well as Jacko Links (second by half a length) returned to win over 1700 metres on April 28.
The third race, a 1820 metres event for imported three-yearolds and up and local nonwinners of two, is very interesting. FREE MARIE, who ran very well in the 1000 Guineas and Jamaica Oaks comes back very light and will have to be respected among non-winners of two.
The one I like best, however, is the American-bred GRAYDON who has been working extremely well alongside trainer Philip Feanny’s top level campaigner Marvellous Marva. According to the website,
bloodhorse.com, the threeyear-old was bought for just US$1,000 in January 2016 at a mixed sale in Ocala, Florida. The sire, Sweet Return, had seven wins, five seconds and six thirds in 28 starts while the mare, Hotesse, won four of six races (including graded stakes) as a three-year-old in Chile. That’s enough pedigree to win tomorrow’s race and GRAYDON is a firm banker.
RACE FOUR
Race Four is for bottom-of-thebarrel three-year-old maidens and the winner could come from one of SUPER MAL, SLY STALLOON and GOLDENEYE. The first named appears to have the best speed. She has an unfavourable number-one draw but has enough pace to go clear of rivals early in the 800 metres race. On April 28, SUPER MAL was up with the pace for 800m of an 1100m race. The splits for that event were 23.2x46.4 and a repeat performance should see SUPER MAL emerging a lonely winner.
The fifth will be a straight battle between BIG BLACK NATION and COMMANDING AVIATOR. The former won impressively (by 10 lengths) over the 1300 metres distance on May 26 but that was at the lower level. COMMANDING AVIATOR has not won in six starts this year but is coming down to $250,000 claiming where she is very comfortable. The six-year-old mare will also have the inform rider Gary Richards aboard.
The sixth should be an afternoon stroll for Oaks winner FAYROUZ while the improving STORM is the choice for Race Seven.