- RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
CLASSY BOY PETE heads to the winners' enclosure with Trevor Simpson aboard after his impressive win in yesterday's 1400-metre eighth race at Caymanas Park. Trainer Philip Feanny afterwards confirmed that the three-year-old gelding will run in next Saturday's big Digicel Jamaica Derby.Ainsley Walters, Staff Reporter
TRAINER NOEL Ennevor's MEDICAL REPORT swept past Wayne DaCosta's SI MI TRIAL a half-furlong out to win yesterday's 1200-metre feature event at Caymanas Park, but it was CLASSY BOY PETE's earlier performance that stole the show on the Jamaica Racing Hall of Fame raceday.
With the Digicel Jamaica Derby exactly a week away, the Philip Feanny-trained CLASSY BOY PETE stormed past American-bred stablemate FOUND IN THE MIST a furlong-and-a-half out to win the 1400-metre event by four lengths in a decent 1:26.4 under Trevor Simpson.
Unraced as a two-year-old last season, CLASSY BOY PETE went through the Yearling Sale for a tag of $2 million but was later sold privately to businessman Peter Lawson.
He debuted as a three-year-old in early February but bled and lost his first race at 1000m. The big chestnut gelding returned 21 days later treated with Lasix and won his next two races at 1000m straight and 1500m before just failing to nab American-bred SKYWAY EXPRESS at 1200 metres on May 6.
With the 2400m Digicel Jamaica Derby thrown wide open following ALLIEDFORCE's win in the 2000m Lotto Classic for the Governor's Cup on May 13, Feanny yesterday said CLASSY BOY PETE must be in with a chance.
WON VERY CONVINCINGLY
"I think he won very convincingly, considering THE SMOKER, who is one of the top three-year-olds, was nowhere near him," said a confident-sounding Feanny.
"He was short of a race so I started him today to see how he would run," the many-time champion trainer added.
Feanny was quick to point out that seven furlongs "was not a mile-and-a-half" but questioned the opposition, which includes Richard Azan's RAMPAGE, widely considered the best three-year-old after landing the 2000 Guineas at a mile, but finished a floundering fourth under top weight in the longer Governor's Cup when giving away weight.
"The opposition, to say the least, is certainly modest and not the best crop of three-year-olds we have had in some time," said Feanny, who is yet to decide on a rider.
"No one horse has stood out. RAMPAGE seemed to be the best but it's left to be seen if he'll get the trip. CLASSY BOY PETE falls in the majority and we'll have to see if he stays, but you don't have a chance if you're not in the race."
Dismissing pundits, whom he described as 'Doubting Thomases', Feanny shrugged off racing the gelding a week before the Derby.
"PRINCE CONSORT won a mile race a week before the Derby," he said, pointing to the 1986 running of the blue-riband event, which his runner won before romping home in the Red Stripe Superstakes by the widest winning margin ever the following year.
Simpson was the day's top rider with four victories, moving to 31 in the standings, one behind second-placed Wesley Henry and five off leading rider Charles Hussey, both of whom were winless on the 12-race card.
His other winners were JET BLASTER in the first race, CHADMAN in the ninth and MOST WANTED in the 12th.
