Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

Running on strongly from below the distance, GIRLOFMYDREAMS split horses midway through the last furlong to win the Rhoel Rhoden Memorial Trophy over 1100 metres for native bred maiden two-year-olds, at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Offering odds of 4-1 with leading jockey Trevor Simpson riding for owners New Blue Limited and 14-time champion trainer Philip Feanny, GIRLOF-MYDREAMS bided her time just off the pace in third, as 4-5 favourite MALAVITA and 9-5 second favourite THUNDER STORM, hooked up on the lead.

Got in to gear

But when GIRLOF-MYDREAMS got into top gear a furlong out, THUNDERSTORM, who by then had taken over the lead, was left for dead by the winner's late flourish in the 10-strong field.

Bred by Lawrence Heffes, GIRLOFMYDREAMS proceeded to win by 2 1.2 lengths from THUNDER STORM under Dane Nelson, with the debutante MALAVITA (Richie Mitchell up) fading into third place, another two and a half lengths away. KIKO, one of seven newcomers in the line-up, was declared a late non-starter.

The Rhoel Rhoden Memorial Trophy was presented by his son, Peter to Heffes whose colours were again carried to victory by LIGHT MY FIRE (3-1) under veteran jockey David 'Scorcher' McKenzie in the very next race over the straight five course.

'Pretty confident'

GIRLOFMYDREAMS, who was racing for the second time, is a bay filly by the American stallion Deputy's Report out of the Star Attitude mare Luvvy Duvvy, She is in fact the first offspring of Deputy's Report, a former top class campaigner at Caymanas Park in the late 90s.

Heffes had this to say about GIRLOFMYDREAMS: "She's a nice filly who should be unbeaten, but had no luck in running on her August 1 debut, having missed the break. She was also squeezed for space and ended up on the far rails over the straight, while the winner finished on the wide outside.

"I was pretty confident she would make amends today and it would appear that I have luck with the two-year-old fillies... remember Perfect Ten?"

Earlier in the afternoon, 24-year-old apprentice Duvon Litchmore finally notched his first win after a year in the saddle, this aboard the 4-5 favourite RIGG'S VICTORY in the fourth race over 1200 metres for maiden five-year-olds and up.

New trainers

RIGG'S VICTORY made all convincingly and not only provided a maiden win for Litchmore, but for second-generation trainer Henry Harrison Jr. as well.

Harrison was among the batch of 25 new trainers which graduated from the JRC training course in late June. Spencer Chung also saddled his first winner in WHITE DIAMOND.

Litchmore, who started riding with the current batch of apprentices on July 29 last year, said he was more relieved than happy.

The past student of Calabar High and Portmore Community College added: "I have faced so many disappointments that this can only build me. I have worked hard for this victory and it could be the start of something good for me."