Positive ID romps holiday feature

POSITIVE ID reported in unbeatable form to take charge of yesterday’s Heroes Day Stakes, brushing aside IANNAI LINKS coming off the home turn, before running out an easy winner ahead of CLASSICAL ORB.

Sent off at odds of 9-5 in the one-mile event with Reyan Lewis, POSITIVE ID tracked IANNAI LINKS and 3-5 favourite RUSTY, tugging for his head from along the rail down the backstretch.

Unleashed leaving the three-furlong marker, POSITIVE ID charged at IANNAI LINKS, who had got rid of RUSTY but had no response for his new challenger.

Showing early speed after trainer Michael Marlowe removed the figure-eight nose band early August, POSITIVE ID has improved immensely, winning twice and finishing second three times in five starts since.

Trainer Jason DaCosta won the opening event with INSPIRED MIRACLE, a romp among $400,000 company after being claimed for $750,000 two weeks ago, signalling the start of ‘silly season’ when the leading barns go all out for the season’s stakes honours.

DaCosta, who was narrowly beaten by Nunes on the final day of last season in the trainers’ stakes race, remains well clear of the three-time defending champion after starting the Heroes holiday weekend $6 million in front his rival.

In the jockeys’ standings, three-time champion Anthony Thomas ended the holiday carnival with four winners, booting home KINGSWOOD in the sixth to be one behind Dane Dawkins, who went winless over three days.

Racing continues on Saturday with the seven-furlong Gold Cup for grade-one horses featuring the likes of Ian Parsard’s MAHOGANY, whose connections lodged a successful appeal to the Jamaica Racing Commission against topweight 126lb allotted by Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited’s racing office.