Trainer Parsard fires warning shots

TRAINER Ian Parsard yesterday fired two warning shots in the direction of WOW WOW, last year’s champion two-year-old and winter-book favourite for this season’s classics, sending out debutant DOUBLE CROWN and MAHOGANY to post impressive seven-furlong victories.

DOUBLE CROWN, a chestnut colt, imported in-utero-bred Bellamy Road-Salty Talk, stalked the pace set by speedy AJITA, who led the field of maiden three-year-olds into the lane.

Straightening fourth, just off the rail, DOUBLE CROWN quickened under Barbadian Simon Husbands to hit the front a furlong out, lengthening his strides to win by five and a half lengths in 1:27.0.

Later in the afternoon, Parsard’s MAHOGANY, a smashing 14-length winner when getting off the mark as a two-year-old on December 28, was awesome on his three-year-old debut, sprinting to a six-and-a-half length victory among non-winners-of-two.

MAHOGANY bettered DOUBLE CROWN’s 1:27.0 by a second, clocking 1:26.0, outclassing TOMOHAWK, runner-up to WOW WOW in the Boxing Day Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes at a mile.

However, MAHOGANY’S rider, Dane Dawkins, suffered a major disappointment, two races later, when closing what he thought was a two-timer astride United States-bred CLEOPATRA’S CHILD in the eighth.

After making all at five furlongs round, CLEOPATRA’S CHILD number was taken down at the scale, Dawkins weighing in two pounds lighter than the 120lb with which he went out.

The race was instead awarded to late-closing 6-5 favourite MILKMAN, who had stormed home for second with in-form claiming apprentice Anthony Allen, who had opened the programme astride DEVINE LEXIE to extend his lead atop the jockey’s standings to seven wins.

Meanwhile, five-time champion jockey Trevor Simpson helped himself to two winners at the back end of the nine-race card. He first booted home 5-1 chance KEY WITNESS in the seventh before closing the programme astride 8-1 shot DUNROBIN. The latter defied the handicaps to run EYE CANDY and BOLD AFLAIR off the lead at five and a half furlongs then hanging tough to hold CAMPESINO at bay in the rush for the wire in the overnight allowance event.

Racing continues at Caymanas Park on Saturday.