Further And Beyond grabs Billy Whizz in Jamaica Cup
ANTHONY NUNES’ FURTHER AND BEYOND stormed from fourth position a half-furlong out, going by EROY and CALCULUS, to nail BILLY WHIZZ at the wire in yesterday’s $6m Jamaica Cup, snatching the $3.27m winners’ purse and stakes lead in the trainers’ title race from Jason DaCosta.
DaCosta’s camp was all set to head to the winners’ enclosure for the fourth time of the afternoon, expecting to slam the door on Nunes’ last stand to win a third straight title, when BILLY WHIZZ turned for home clear of KING ARTHUR, EROY and CALCULUS with 9-5 favourite FURTHER AND BEYOND seemingly out of contention in fifth place.
BILLY WHIZZ, the Jamaica Derby runner-up t o CALCULUS, was still travelling strong a furlong out under Dick Cardenas, who had earlier piloted MAKE U PARTIST to a stunning 5-1 mild upset in the St Elizabeth Distaff, but FURTHER AND BEYOND, last year’s champion two-year-old, who failed to win a three-year-old classic this season, hit overdrive with Linton Steadman a halffurlong out.
After having to negotiate traffic down the backstretch, because of being caught along the rail from post-position two heading into the clubhouse turn, FURTHER AND BEYOND showed his class in the stretch run by motoring past EROY and CALCULUS before taking aim at BILLY WHIZZ, who he collared within shades of the wire, winning the nine-and-a-half furlong event by three-quarter length in 2:00.3.
SENSATIONAL WIN
FURTHER AND BEYOND’s sensational win, turning the Jamaica Derby tables on BILLY WHIZZ and CALCULUS, allowed Nunes to equal DaCosta with a three-timer on the 10-race card, snaring the day’s big purse, which handed him a stakes lead of approximately $1.2m ahead of his rival.
Nunes had drawn first blood, wiping out DaCosta’s meagre $85,000 stakes lead by opening the programme, sacrificing LET HIM FLY on a $750,000 claim tag after the four-year-old colt’s convincing victory against non-winners of four races on October 30.
DaCosta’s response came fast and furious, a quick double, HEART OF A LION in the fifth and ADORE BRILLIANCE, who charged home to beat KAY BOY by a nose in the sixth event. After MAKEUPARTIST destroyed rivals, including stablemate and favourite LURE OF LUCY, going gate to wire in the Distaff, clocking 1:38.4, DaCosta’s praises were being sung from the rafters.
Nunes had two aces up his sleeve to close the card, though both narrowly got home. First, 3-5 favourite CURLIN’S AFFAIR, partnered by Steadman, just lasted from 6-1 United States-bred debutant, CLASSICAL ORB, in the ninth at a mile, hanging on by a diminishing neck from the fast-closing foreigner, who was tailed off down the backstretch but produced a strong late kick a half-furlong out.
FURTHER AND BEYOND’s class act in the Jamaica Cup left Nunes with a chance to fight another day, tomorrow’s nine-race card, when the ding-dong battle between the top barns continue.
The afternoon’s third feature, the $2.5m Port Royal Sprint, was an anti-climax with Gary Subratie’s DUKE beating Ian Parsard’s FATHER PATRICK and ROJORN DI PILOT after their stablemate, 1-2 favourite SHE’S A WONDER, killed her chances by breaking slowly in the six-furlong event.