Classy Prospect goes all the way

Orville Clarke, Sunday Gleaner Writer

The progressive native bred 4-y-o gelding CLASSY PROSPECT humbled the highly fancied imported horses PRICELESS BEAUTY and BURST OF ENERGY to win the sixth running of the King's Plate over 1500 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Offering odds of 9-2 with 4.0kg claiming apprentice Osive Donegal riding for champion-trainer Wayne DaCosta, CLASSY PROSPECT made all under topweight of 56.5kg, holding on dourly in the closing stages to win by 1¹/⁴ lengths from 6-5 favourite PRICELESS BEAUTY, who had a neck to spare over BURST OF ENERGY (9-5) in a field of seven open allowance horses.

CLASSY PROSPECT was pushed into the lead by Donegal and although tracked closely by the American colt BURST OF ENERGY under a somewhat hurried ride from hot apprentice Richard Mairs, held that one at bay into the straight and kept finding extra from below the distance to win decisively from the Canadian-bred mare PRICELESS BEAUTY, who was never far off the pace in third.

By Saint Appeal out of the 1999 Derby and Oaks winner Good Prospect, CLASSY PROSPECT who was notching his second consecutive win, is co-owned and bred by Francis Barnett, Edison Chai and Louie Lyn.

career starts

This was the gelding's seventh win from only 16 career starts, but despite being allotted top weight of 60.5kg, his connections were quietly confident that he could deliver the lion's share of the $1 million purse. DaCosta said: "This is a horse who showed great promise as a two-year-old, failed to carry through at three only to regain his focus at four."He's improving at the right time and although he's never won going this far, I told the apprentice to put him in front and he ride an excellent race," explained the 10-time champion.

Meanwhile, on what turned out to be a tough day for form players, classic aspirants - the Richard Azan-trained ERASMO and Noel Ennevor's HERMOSO AMIGO (Hombre's half brother) - won their respective races convincingly and both will cross paths in the 2000 Guineas over a mile on April 2.

On a day when ONLY BEGOTTEN SON at 66-1 (awarded fourth race on Prince of Arabia's disqualification) and ZIXX at 39-1 provided the upsets, leading jockey Shane Ellis rode two winners to move to 16 winners.