Sat | Apr 27, 2024

No safe bets in stacked Anniversary Trophy

Published:Thursday | February 29, 2024 | 12:10 AMAinsley Walters/Gleaner Writer
SENSATIONAL MOVE, ridden by Dane Dawkins, wins the second running of the Reggae Month Sprint over five furlongs straight, a three-year-old and upwards open allowance stakes at Caymanas Park on February 17.
Anthony Minott
SENSATIONAL MOVE, ridden by Dane Dawkins, wins the second running of the Reggae Month Sprint over five furlongs straight, a three-year-old and upwards open allowance stakes at Caymanas Park on February 17.

THE NAÏVE bet to stake in Saturday’s SVREL Anniversary Trophy is to ignore the red flags and consider SENSATIONAL MOVE much improved, considering his easy victory two Saturdays ago against the same cast in the Reggae Month Trophy.

However, if there was ever a race to approach with an open mind, SENSATIONAL MOVE hunting back-to-back wins against EMPEROROFTHECATS, MADELYN’S SUNSHINE, and YELLOWSTONE could leave form players fuming.

The most striking aspect of the SVREL Anniversary Trophy is YELLOWSTONE returning at 106lb after being allotted 122lb two Saturdays ago in the Reggae Month Trophy won by SENSATIONAL MOVE. YELLOWSTONE actually disputed the lead before being eased by claiming rider Romario Spencer inside the final furlong.

Returning with 106lb, further reduced to 101lb by Jordan Barrett’s claim, chops 17lb off YELLOWSTONE for a rematch with SENSATIONAL MOVE, who has been hiked to 126lb – effectively a 23lb weight swing.

SENSATIONAL MOVE’s victory at five furlongs straight caught most by surprise. All eyes were glued to his stablemate, United States-bred DESERT OF MALIBU, whose only blemish in six starts locally had been disqualification for interference in a grade-two event on Mouttet Mile Day.

As she did in her previous race, DESERT OF MALIBU reared badly at the start but was unable to recover at the snappier trip, a foul-up SENSATIONAL MOVE capitalised on to make all, coincidentally ridden by Dane Dawkins who had been aboard DESERT OF MALIBU’s for all her previous starts.

YELLOWSTONE, running minus visor in the Reggae Month Trophy, also begs the question of trainer Alford Brown. Why was the visor removed, now refitted, after the five-year-old won five of seven career victories in the equipment?

MADELYN’S SUNSHINE’s run behind SENSATIONAL MOVE was also questionable, finishing two lengths adrift of EMPEROROFTHECATS, who could not get close to her in their previous meeting when she tried to steal a march on slow-starting DESERT OF MALIBU.

YELLOWSTONE’s ridiculous 14lb drop in the scale aside, the SVREL Anniversary Trophy has a major question hanging. Could most of the runners in the Reggae Month Trophy have been playing possum due to the presence of DESERT OF MALIBU after her jaw-dropping effort to catch MADELYN’S SUNSHINE at six furlongs a month earlier?