Essential Quality pulls off 30-1 upset for Winston Griffiths Trophy

RADDESH ROMAN’S front-running tactics aboard Oral Hayden’s ESSENTIAL QUALITY from stall one, followed by a crippling half-mile move, left classic-placed stablemates PRINCESS SHARON and MONEY MISER gasping three furlongs out in a 30-1 upset of yesterday’s Winston ‘Fanna’ Griffiths Classic for three-year-olds at nine and a half furlongs.

Reminiscent of Griffiths’ timing, which won him a Guinness Book of World Records 44 classic victories at Caymanas Park aboard some of the country’s best-ever racehorses, Roman sent the Sensational Slam-Texas Missy filly to the lead with 112lb, daring St Leger and Oaks third-place PRINCESS SHARON to test his runner down the backstretch.

PRINCESS SHARON, who had chased winner MAMMA MIA into the lane in the August 5 Jamaica Oaks, while ESSENTIAL QUALITY trailed throughout, found nil when Roman let out a notch at the half-mile marker as the controlling speed this time around among non-classic winners.

Coasting into the lane, ESSENTIAL QUALITY changed gears when asked to run, sprinting clear of PRINCESS SHARON while MONEY MISER, a bridesmaid in the 2000 Guineas, St Leger and Jamaica Derby, struggled under topweight 126lb, always fifth down the backstretch, before improving into fourth in the drive, never a threat from the start.

Roman, who was aboard MONEY MISER in the derby, shook his whip in glee as he flashed past the winning post nine lengths clear of PRINCESS SHARON with his former mount missing from the patrol camera’s lens.

Roman’s re-emergence this season as a front-running rider has been nothing short of spectacular, displaying his gentle hands aboard Dale Murphy’s United States-bred RUNAWAY ALGO in three consecutive victories, including last Saturday’s Grade 1 She’s A Maneater Trophy at a mile, dismissing fellow American and nemesis I AM FRED in back-to-back races.

Whereas Roman stole the show in the feature, all-but-crowned-champion Reyan Lewis extended his season’s tally to 77 atop the jockeys’ standings with a two-timer capped by a terrific finish aboard champion trainer Jason DaCosta’s United States-bred LION OF EKATI, closing like a runaway train along the rail to nail Tevin Foster stealing home astride GILBERT in the eighth at a mile.

Foster also won a pair, moving to 54 wins, JACK OF SPADES at 12-1 in the second at a mile and CAPTAIN CALICO, who notched two wins in as many tries at five furlongs straight for Anthony Nunes, beating local non-winners of two races and imported maidens.

Journeyman Philip Parchment also won two races, the first being the third event via the stewards’ room aboard second-past-the-post MAGICAL MOOD following interference from 17-1 outsider CASUAL AFFAIR in the stretch run.

Parchment returned to boot home TRADITIONAL BOY in the sixth event at six and a half furlongs, beating older non-winners of three races in a come-from-behind finish.

Peter-John Parsard, who last Saturday saddled his first career winner, BERNARD DE QU, topped his peers with a two-timer, SUNSHINE CAT beating $400,000 claimers in the seventh and seven-year-old ROJORN DI PILOT, who turned back United States-bred I’VE GOT MAGIC at five furlongs straight in the night pan for overnight-allowance runners.

Racing continues at the weekend with Saturday-Sunday meets.