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Divine Force set to trample rivals on Sunday

Published:Friday | October 6, 2023 | 12:10 AMAinsley Walters/Gleaner Writer
ANTARCTICA, with Javaniel Patterson aboard, walks to the winners’ enclosure after capturing the Louis Hitchins Memorial Cup over nine furlongs at Caymanas Park on Sunday, September 24, 2023.
Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer
ANTARCTICA, with Javaniel Patterson aboard, walks to the winners’ enclosure after capturing the Louis Hitchins Memorial Cup over nine furlongs at Caymanas Park on Sunday, September 24, 2023.

DIVINE FORCE gets a relaxed pace in Sunday’s Royal Dad Trophy at nine furlongs and 25 yards after his unfortunate loss last Saturday. Oshane Nugent did just about enough to avoid disqualification aboard ATLANTIC CONVOY, twice causing Reyan Lewis astride DIVINE FORCE to gather his mount in the stretch run of the six-furlong Ronron Trophy.

ATLANTIC CONVOY’s winning margin of a length and a quarter was exaggerated by Lewis having to ease DIVINE FORCE close home after similarly suffering in tight quarters a furlong and a quarter out, near the patrol judge’s rostrum, when Nugent went for his whip and closed the rail by angling inside.

Soon faced with MILOS’ challenge in mid-track, Nugent resorted to left-hand whipping, seeing off the local-bred, before switching back to right, effectively drifting inwards again, just enough to thwart DIVINE FORCE’s renewed but late rail bid.

Returning at five furlongs straight a little over two months later, DIVINE FORCE rushed past local-bred LORD BURKINGTON at five furlongs straight, winning in a decent 59.2, suggesting he was ready to climb the conditions ladder to the top ranks.

However, the Alternation-Dance America colt flopped at odds of 2-5 on his next outing, plodding in next-to-last in a five-horse field behind MAJOR DANGER, INSPIRED FORCE and PLATINUM FORCE. It was hardly a surprise when DIVINE FORCE was scratched lame a month later, a lay-up which lasted five months until last Saturday when he ran a brave but incident-filled race against fellow American ATLANTIC CONVOY.

Having worked really well, 1:07.0 for five and a half furlongs, DIVINE FORCE should use his back class to trample his five local-bred rivals. Debuting at six furlongs last December, DIVINE FORCE was a length and a half second to grade-one campaigner FRED THE GREAT before getting off the mark at seven furlongs late January.

RHYTHM BUZZ and the filly ESSENTIAL QUALITY lead the local-breds’ charge. RHYTHM BUZZ hasn’t raced in three months but appears happy at exercise, clocking 1:01.1 out the mile chute on Tuesday. Though he is a strong closer, the Buzz Nightmare-River Rhythm colt will be outclassed by DIVINE FORCE, who should track ESSENTIAL QUALITY before taking over.