She’s a Maneater should prevail
SHE’S A MANEATER will start as the shortest-priced favourite to land the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes since 2013 when PRINCESS POPSTAR became the first horse to sweep the three-race Supreme Ventures Limited Two-Year-Old Series en route to being crowned Horse of the Year.
Champion trainer Wayne DaCosta’s impressive, unbeaten filly, a daughter of 2009 Horse of the Year, AHWHOFAH, has proven herself a cut above her peers in three starts, winning from five-and-a-half to seven furlongs, never in danger of defeat.
IMPRESSIVE CONTENDERS
Unlike previous years when stamina floored other impressive contenders at a mile in the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, after their class carried them to victory in the Cash Pot Trophy and Pick 3 Super Challenge at six and seven furlongs, respectively, SHE’S A MANEATER has no such limitations to stop her.
In November’s Pick-3 Super Challenge, she sat off the pace and allowed stablemate MR UNIVERSE to carry splits of 23.2 and 46.2 before brushing him aside to power home in 1:26.0.
The engravers can start etching her name on the trophy, the longest-standing on the local racing calendar, the 105th running of the event.
DaCosta has literally made the race his own in the last six seasons, saddling four winners – ALL CORRECT (2011), HOVER CRAFT (2012), ALI BABA (2014), and FUTURE KING last year. Since 1994, he has won the race seven times, starting with MR SENSATIONAL, followed by WAR ZONE in 1995, and RUN TAT RUN, 1997.
TALENTED FILLY
Jockey Omar Walker is aboard the talented filly, hoping for his first victory in the event. In addition to breaking his duck in the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, Walker is also looking to sustain his bid for a fifth jockeys’ championship, starting the weekend six clear of apprentice Bebeto Harvey in a title race which has seen him being starved of rides from other barns in the last month.
DaCosta, all-but-crowned 16-time champion trainer, also has a race on hand. He starts the weekend needing four winners in three days to reach 2000 career winners.
Put SHE’S A MANEATER in the win box for both as DaCosta and Walker move closer to another slice of history after repeating their Diamond Mile success with SEEKING MY DREAM.