No catching Runaway Algo in Seeking My Dream feature
IN another display of absolute brilliance and talent, Runaway Algo comfortably brushed aside competitors to win the $1.29million Seeking My Dream Trophy feature race on a common canter at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
Travelling seven-and-a-half furlongs (1,500m) for the three-year-old and upward Open Allowance contest,
Runaway Algo turned on the afterburner in deep stretch to spank rivals by an impressive 13½ lengths.
Runaway Algo, a four-year-old American-bred chestnut colt, completed the distance with a jaw-dropping new Stakes record time of 1:30.4 (24.2 x 47.0 x 1:10.2). The final time was not far off Sky Train’s track record of 1:29.2 achieved on May 7, 1983.
As expected, jockey Linton Steadman sent the Dale Murphy trainee Runaway Algo to the lead early in the race, and he kept the lead over Calculus (Bebeto Harvey) and Blue Vinyl (Javaniel Patterson). Despite being pressured by Calculus, Runaway Algo maintained a steady gallop down the backstretch until the half-mile (800m), when he increased the tempo and began to pull away from competitors.
Under cruise control coming into the lane, Runaway Algo changed gears and raced home under hand ride to win handily at the wire. Calculus finished second, ahead of stablemate Sistren Treasure, who was ridden by champion jockey Dane Dawkins.
Meanwhile, Essential Quality, trained by Oral Hayden and ridden by Anthony Thomas, made one move to win the $990,000 Awesome Power Trophy co-feature race, also over seven-anda-half furlongs.
Essential Quality won the maiden condition race for native-bred threeyear-old fillies by 11 lengths in a time of 1:36.4 ahead of MPRS Links (Reyan Lewis) and Hot Stepper (Tevin Foster).
The win by Essential Quality gave Hayden his first career win since graduating from the Jamaica Racing Commission’s (JRC) Trainers’ Programme on May 12. Also registering his first career winner was Michael Spencer, who saddled Sniper Man in the day’s third race.
Racing continues on tomorrow with a nine-race programme.