Further and Beyond helps Nunes retain title
Published:Monday | December 28, 2020 | 12:14 AMAinsley Walters/Gleaner Writer
JOURNEYMAN jockey 55-year-old Ian Spence yesterday produced a textbook ride aboard 6-5 favourite FURTHER AND BEYOND to land the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes on a chance call, summoned by champion trainer Anthony Nunes as replacement for Dane Nelson.
Spence had famously ridden Philip Feanny’s champion, The Viceroy, to victory in the 1989 Guineas after Winston Griffiths opted to partner Prince Mike, believing that the favourite was gelded too close to the one-mile event.
A former star apprentice, Spence made no mistake aboard FURTHER AND BEYOND, tracking the expected leaders, fillies HOIST THE MAST and SHE’S A WONDER, before attacking on the outside approaching the home turn.
The burly chestnut colt challenged the fillies early in the straight and immediately showed his class by surging to the front after tracking splits of 23.2, 45.3 and 1:10.4, stopping the clock in 1:39.3.
A full brother to this year’s Guineas and Oaks winner, ABOVE AND BEYOND, and nephew to last season’s Triple Crown champion, SUPREME SOUL, FURTHER AND BEYOND is the first Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes winner from the classic-winning Beware Baby dam line, including 2016 St Leger winner Bigdaddykool.
CONSECUTIVE TITLE
FURTHER AND BEYOND put the icing on Nunes’ second consecutive trainers’ title, well clear in stakes earned, ahead of Wayne DaCosta, who he dethroned last season after spending many years being runner-up to the 18-time champion.
The owners’ title was sewn up by Michros, whose late-season colt NIPSTER landed Saturday’s Ian Levy Cup after winning the St Leger and losing the Jamaica Derby in a driving finish.
Fans of rival jockeys Nelson and Andrew Thomas called a truce, satisfied that their favourite riders shared the riders’ title, 84 winners apiece, after both reported ill for the two-day meet.
In his absence, five mounts, for which Thomas was booked at the weekend, were unsaddled in the winners’ enclosure, whereas only two of Nelson’s, including FURTHER AND BEYOND, won their respective events with replacement riders.
The new season of racing runs off this New Year’s weekend, Friday-Saturday.