Brawn ready for big run

IT’S HOLIDAY racing at Caymanas Park today, the well-supported Emancipation Day 11-race programme facilitating nine trophy races, including the 12th running of the three-year-old and up open allowance race over 1,100 metres for the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) Trophy.

The card also features the annual running of the Emancipation Day Trophy over 1300 metres for high claiming horses, seven of whom will face the starter, including ante-post favourite HOLOGRAM SHADOW.

Despite a small field of six, the BGLC Trophy race should be keenly contested as there is enough good form present to ensure this.

Included in the line-up are the recent winners, GARY GLITTER, FORCE DE JOUR, BRAWN and the Fitzroy Glispie-trained four-year-old filly MOM’S STUDENT, who bids for her fourth consecutive win.

She, along with Dalton Sirjue’s up-in-class four-year-old colt GARY GLITTER, who bids for his fourth win from his last four starts, should inject genuine speed into the proceedings and will only go down fighting. However, I believe the race will be won by a horse coming from off the pace, and the one that fits the bill is BRAWN, despite top-weight of 57.0kg.

IMPROVING

Trained by Gary Subratie, the American, bred four-year-old colt was considered a good middle-distance horse up to a month ago, but all that changed on July 9 when he surprised his opponents to win over the round-five course, a race in which he surprisingly kept pace from early before out-finishing the hot favourite, CRUCIAL APPEAL, to win at odds of 10-1.

“That day, he was extensively warmed up by his customary rider, Aaron Chatrie, minutes before the start and the plan worked out beautifully”, recalled Subratie. “Similar tactics will be employed for this race and, despite having risen in the weights, he is improving and this will not deter him.

“What’s more, he ran a brave race in defeat subsequently when losing by a short head to Long Running Train in a fast-run 1,500-metre race and with his form this good, I am upbeat about his chances,” said the second-generation trainer, who named GARY GLITTER as the principal danger.

Other firm fancies on the card are LEGENDARY PLEASURE in the fifth, LEGAL ARENA in the sixth, BIG DATA in the seventh, and MISS MYRTLE in the ninth race over the round-five course.