‘More work to be done with Desert of Malibu’ — Gary Subratie
DESERT of Malibu recently developed the bad habit of rearing after leaving the starting gates.
This roguish behaviour was a source of concern for her connections, especially after she finished fourth over the five-straight course on February 17, 2024, again swerving when her barrier opened.
However on Saturday, March 23, 2024 there was relief for all concerned as Desert of Malibu left her stall in good order to win the Saint Cecelia Cup — an Open Allowance call for three-year-olds and above at over 6½ furlongs.
Desert of Malibu, owned by Houston Stables, trained by Gary Subratie, and ridden by Raddesh Roman, took control of the event from 5½ furlongs out and then cruised home to victory by three lengths in a time of 1:19.4 (23.1 x 47.0 x 1:12.2).
While Subratie was pleased to see his charge overcome her gate difficulties he acknowledges that more work needs to be done before he can fully trust Desert of Malibu not to repeat her wayward behaviour.
“Desert of Malibu has her ups and downs, and you will never know what she will do next time. We are going to keep working on her because I don’t have 100 per cent confidence as yet, but we are going to see what happens after this race,” Subratie told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.
“It was a very good performance. She came out of the gates good; she was a little slower today, but that’s fine. We will work on that part, but that is the least of my problems right now; it’s just for her to break well. There is a Grade One event that I am looking at next month but I will talk to the owner and we will discuss that,” he further stated.
Desert of Malibu quickly coupled up on the inside rails, surging to the lead after the first half-furlong was completed. The five-year-old chestnut mare led the field ahead of Madelyn’s Sunshine (Josue Osorio), A Gift From Ben (Ramon Nepare), and Bootylicious (Omar Walker) down the backstretch.
Desert of Malibu maintained a smooth pace until navigating the half-turn (800m) when she upped the tempo on rivals. Still cantering when entering the lane, Desert of Malibu crossed the finishing line easily ahead of Further and Beyond (Devon A Thomas) and A Gift From Ben.