Formal Gladiator again

THE SUPERIOR pace of seven-year-old gelding CHEERS will prove decisive in tomorrow’s opening race of the Sunrise-6 at Caymanas Park.

Action in the Sunrise-6 starts at the second race on the 11race card and leading rider, apprentice Anthony Thomas, is expected to dictate the pace aboard CHEERS from very early in the 1500 metres event for $350,00 claimers.

CHEERS has been very consistent at this level. On April 2, he won by all of six lengths going 1200 metres and returned with a creditable effort in the higher-claiming group on April 7. Dropped back to $350,000- on April 25, CHEERS found the 1820-metre distance a bit too taxing and was overhauled late by the running on Raging Prospect.

There is nothing in this field to test the selection early, and he should have enough in the final 200 metres to keep his rivals at bay.

Three-year-olds DRONE STRIKE and FORMAL GLADIATOR should also not be opposed in races Three and Four, respectively. The former has been racing against some of the best in his age group this season and was eighth by six lengths (57kg) in the 2000 Guineas on April 15. He comes back with just 52.5kg on his back against third-raters at best and will romp home in this 1000-metre round event.

FORMAL GLADIATOR is wellbred, Adore The Gold – Priceless Beauty, and his connections could be eyeing a place in the remaining classics. His Canadabred dam clocked 1:37.4 for 1600 metres at Caymanas Park eight years ago, and owners Houston Stables would have been impressed by the way he dismantled claiming company on June 6 with splits of 22.3x45.4 for the first 800 metres of a 1200metre race. He will face some competition from United Statesbred SUPER SPARKLE, but FORMAL GLADIATOR looks to be something special.

The fifth race, over 1200 metres, looks competitive at first glance, but my firm choice is the nine-year-old gelding HOLOGRAM SHADOW. He is up a level, at $450,000, after defeating $350,000 claiming (over 1300m) on May 23, but tomorrow’s field is filled with horses he has defeated in the recent past. He is also well handicapped at 52.0kg after running well among $450,000 with 54kg at the end of April. Thomas has the ride.

Take SOTOMAYOR to outstay rivals in the gruelling 1800 metres in Race Six and PRECOCIOUS VALUE in the seventh.

AZARIA (centre), ridden by Devon A. Thomas, getting the better of RICKY RICARDO (left, Omar Walker) and AXLE ROD (Oneil Scott) in the third race at Caymanas Park last Saturday.

LEEKOUT, ridden by Prince Holder, is an easy winner of last Saturday’s ninth race.

PHOTOS BY IAN ALLEN/PHOTOGRAPHER FAYROUZ, ridden by Wesley Henry, winning the sixth race at Caymanas Park last Saturday.