Space Fury gets through in stewards' room

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

The stewards struck in the seventh and penultimate race at Caymanas Park yesterday, disqualifying first-past-the-post GUAN YU and promoting the 6-5 favourite SPACE FURY to first.

Contesting the $450,000-$400,000 claiming race over 1820 metres, both horses were engaged in a neck-and-neck duel into the straight when GUAN YU (8-1) on the inside, ridden by Andre Martin, pointed early in the last furlong.

But under a flaying left hand stick from Martin, GUAN YU veered out sharply and bumped into SPACE FURY, who still had a lot of fight, twice in the last 100 metres, causing apprentice Richard Mairs aboard SPACE FURY to take evasive action at a crucial stage.

Disqualified

GUAN YU held on to win by half-a-length, but the stewards' inquiry sign was quickly posted and after deliberating for about 10 minutes, GUAN YU was disqualified and placed second and the race awarded to SPACE FURY.

The race was contested by eight starters, including highly fancied THE GUMMER (3-1), who jostled for the lead with NEPTUNE (14-1), before the pair of SPACE FURY and GUAN YU took over approaching the 600-metre point of the course.

Significantly, SPACE FURY marked the second horse trained by ex-jockey Fitzroy 'Pumpkin' Glispie to be awarded first place following the disqualification of a winner this season.

On January 22, his five-year-old gelding, PROGRESSIVE, finished a close second to ROYAL IMPACT in a 1200-metre race for $190,000 claimers, only to be awarded first place on the latter's disqualification.

Yesterday, PROGRESSIVE (2-1), with Mairs riding for Glispie, duly made it two-in-a-row with a decisive 11/4-length victory over highly fancied FIRST EDITION (5-2) in the Long Shot Trophy over 1300 metres, contested by 13 starters from the $180,000 claiming spread.

PROGRESSIVE completed a quick double for bang-in-form apprentice Mairs and Glispie, but Mairs had a third winner on the card in 7-1 chance DIE HARD, in the maiden three-year-old sprint.