Seeking My Dream hard to oppose
TODAY’S RACE meet at Caymanas Park signals the start of a new era: the privatisation of local racing with new owners Supreme Ventures Limited taking over the operation of the near 200-acre racing complex from the Government through divestment.
The move was made official on Tuesday when Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL), a subsidiary of lotto giant Supreme Ventures Limited, replaced Caymanas Track Limited as sole promoter.
Meanwhile, the well-supported 11-race programme will be highlighted by the annual renewal of the grade one Chairman’s Trophy over 1500 metres with a purse of $1.2 million. With six starters declared, the race marks the return of back-to-back ‘Horse of the Year’ SEEKING MY DREAM, who races for the first time since his impressive record time victory in the $13.9 million Diamond Mile on December 10 last year.
Although racing for the first time in three months, SEEKING MY DREAM, to be ridden as usual by champion jockey Omar Walker for 16-time champion trainer Wayne DaCosta and Member of Parliament Derrick Smith, has been burning up the track at exercise, galloping six furlongs in a fast 1:11.4 on March 4 in preparation for the race.
SUPERIOR CLASS
The five-year-old chestnut horse by Seeking The Glory out of the 2008 ‘Horse of the Year’ Alsafra has been allotted topweight of 57.0kg, but this will not deter him as he represents superior class in a field where three of the remaining starters are his stable-companions.
His two legitimate competitors are the 2015 Superstakes winner FRANFIELD, who beat him by a length in this very race last year, and the American horse BRAWN. Both, however, were soundly beaten by the 2015 derby winner in the Diamond Mile, and even though allowing 3.5kg and 7.0kg, respectively, to both, SEEKING MY DREAM is in such good nick that it will take a brave punter to oppose him.
The Richard Azan-trained FRANFIELD, under champion apprentice Bebeto Harvey, has the capacity to rebound on his best form and should complete the exacta.
Other firm fancies on the card are down-in-class UNBREAKABLE in the opening race over a mile; BUBBLING KITTEN for trainer Anthony ‘Baba’ Nunes in the knotty-looking third race over 1200 metres; CRAFTY STAR in the sixth; recent winner STANISLAUS to repeat in the seventh; and WARTIME in the 11th, and final to be contested by the maximum 16 starters.