Sun | Apr 28, 2024

Curlin’s Affair earns redemption

Published:Sunday | July 24, 2022 | 12:12 AMAinsley Walters - Sunday Gleaner Writer
CURLIN’S AFFAIR, ridden by Reyan Lewis, wins the fifth race, a three-year-old and upwards stakes five furlongs round at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer
CURLIN’S AFFAIR, ridden by Reyan Lewis, wins the fifth race, a three-year-old and upwards stakes five furlongs round at Caymanas Park yesterday.

CHAMPION TRAINER Anthony Nunes’ CURLIN’S AFFAIR returned to the winners’ enclosure yesterday with a strong overnight-allowance victory at five furlongs round, making amends for his disappointing last-place finish behind JORDON’S REIGN at six and a half furlongs a month ago.

CURLIN’S AFFAIR, a four-year-old foaled by Nuclear Affair, winner of the 1000 Guineas in 2016, showed no sign of bleeding as he did last out, hugging the rail into the straight after being sent off at skinny odds of 4-5 in the seven-horse field being led by GENERATIONAL.

Though encountering traffic early in the stretch run, Reyan Lewis found room to have CURLIN’S AFFAIR pull level with GENERATIONAL a furlong and a half out before sprinting clear to beat late-closing EL PROFESOR in 1:01.1.

Nunes saddled two winners on the 11-race card, topping Richard Azan’s 2-5 favourite, PERFECT BREW, with 14-1 outsider, BUGATTI, who dashed past rivals from his wide draw like a Formula 1 car with Tevin Foster at five furlongs round.

Mounting challenges

BUGATTI left the half-mile marker with PERFECT BREW and BABYLIKE mounting challenges. PERFECT BREW, who has a sordid habit of running a good one every other race, lived up to his modus operandi, finding nil when let off the bridle in the stretch run, surrendering to BUGATTI, who won in 1:01.4.

Rival jocks, leader Dane Dawkins and defending champion Anthony Thomas, each rode two winners. Holding a three-win lead over three-time champion Thomas, Dawkins kept his momentum for a first riders’ title going with victories aboard Gary Subratie’s LOVE DUB in the opening event on the 11-race card before returning to boot home DODGE THIS LINK for Ian Parsard in the fourth, at odds of 9-5 and 6-5, respectively.

Thomas, first-call for the all-powerful barn of leading trainer Jason DaCosta, notched his wins astride 8-5 chance CONONDRUM in the sixth at odds of 9-5. Alford Brown’s three-year-old maiden, GRACEFULLY MADE, made all in sloppy conditions in the 10th to keep Thomas within striking distance of Dawkins heading into next Saturday’s meet.