Allegiance announces himself in Sir Howard Stakes upset win
Allegiance, a three-yearold chestnut colt bred by Midnight Hawk out of the Royal Minister mare Princess Geeta, become a force of significance in the upcoming Classic series of races following his upset win in the Sir Howard Stakes on Sunday, March 24, 2024.
A designated prep for colts and geldings on the ‘Road to the Triple Crown’, Sir Howard Stakes, is a non-winner of two contest going 6 furlongs.
Allegiance, who was sent off at odds of 9-1 in the small field of six, came from behind competitors to earn a halflength win for breeder S & D Stables, owner Yardie Stables, trainer Anthony Nunes, jockey Reyan Lewis, and groom Steven Smith.
The event was run in honour of the outstanding race horse Sir Howard, a multiple stakes winner who retired in 1984 as the leading all-time stakes winner with 10 wins from 28 starts.
Allegiance settled behind the pace in fourth place and watched as Teflon Don (Robert Halledeen) led the field ahead of J Spieth (Tevin Foster) and
World Surprise (Oshane Nugent). Going into the half-mile (800-metre) turn, Allegiance had no racing room on the inside rails and was forced to tail off at the back of the field.
Allegiance regained his groove and then began to round horses approaching the distance. With a clear run in deep stretch on the inside rails,
Allegiance proved too strong for rivals in the end, winning ahead of J Spieth and World Surprise, in that order. The winning time was 1:16.1 (23.3 x 48.4).
“I drew number one in the field and so the plan was to get a good break and position him [Allegiance] in striking distance. I knew there were a couple of speed horses in the race, so I just held my horse back a bit and let him build up on his own,” Lewis told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.
“When we came into the straight, I just asked him to run and he gave me everything and won. I wasn’t worried during the race because I went into the race with a game plan and I executed that well. It was also a good team effort.
“I plan to keep focus and consistent in what I am doing. I am willing to put in the work and from there things will happen. I have not been in the winners’ enclosure from January and so I am hoping that this win will be the start of something,” Lewis added.