Design Star wins Sprint

Orville Clarke, Sunday Gleaner Writer

The lightly raced DESIGN STAR floored the odds on the howling 1-9 favourite THE MESSENGER at Caymanas Park yesterday, with an all the way victory in the Mercury Sprint feature over the straight for native bred, maiden three-year-old colts and geldings.

Ridden by Chris Douglas for trainer Patrick 'Wacky' Lynch, DESIGN STAR, running at odds of 4-1 in a field of 11, showed superior speed in mid-track to be clear of THE MESSENGER coming on to the main track.

With a furlong to go, DESIGN STAR was two lengths clear of THE MESSENGER, who dissipated his chances by hanging right over the last 400 metres, proving a handful for jockey Dick Cardenas who tried desperately to keep him on a straight course. But DESIGN STAR held on well in the closing stages to hold him at bay by half a length.

A three-year-old grey colt by Vanadium out of the Smokehouse Sam mare Lady Sam, DESIGN STAR is owned by Michael Gayle and bred by Joseph and Shirley McKessey.

This was the colt's first win from three starts, but jockey Douglas said he was never in doubt that DESIGN STAR would deliver.

"I rode him on the previous occasion and he ran a good race behind CONEYISLANINVADER and HIGH PRIEST (both subsequent winners) over the straight," recalled the jockey.

"He was gazing around in that race so I told the trainer to race him in the blinkers next time, and this made the difference," he added.

Notable upsets

Meanwhile, leading rider Doushane Gordon (Way To Go, Mark To Market) and Shane Ellis (Lesterae, Quiet Knight) shared the riding honours with two winners each, while there were two winners as well for trainers Lynch (Design Star, Quiet Knight) and Lawrence Freemantle (Lesterae, Mark To Market).

Although many favourites obliged, the 10-race programme produced two notable upsets in MAHARANI at 38-1 in the 'nightpan' and Philip Feanny's GERSHWIN at 15-1 in the seventh for maiden 3-y-o's. GERSHWIN provided 61-year-old jockey David 'Scorcher' McKenzie, the oldest rider to win at Caymanas, with his second winner since the start of the year.

McKenzie, who has been riding since the mid-60s, turned 61 on January 9.