Seek Gold takes feature

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Closing rapidly over the last 200 metres, SEEK GOLD won the annual renewal of the Violet Armond Memorial Cup (claiming $350,000-$300,000) over 1600 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday in decisive fashion.

Offering odds of 5-1 with apprentice Richard Mairs aboard, SEEK GOLD found herself outpaced in the 10-horse field, as NEPTUNE led from FREE FALL and the 2-1 second favourite TOBAGO, followed by 7-5 favourite WESTERN GENIUS, mending after being slowly into stride.

NEPTUNE turned for home with FREE FALL and TOBAGO in hot pursuit, but as they galloped towards the furlong pole, the closers - TRICKY TRAIN, WHITE STAR and SEEK GOLD - began to kick in.

With five horses spread across the track early in the last furlong, SEEK GOLD closed best of all on the outside to win by 1³/⁴ lengths from TRICKY TRAIN (11-1) and TOBAGO, heads on for second.

Owned by The Hustler, trained by Rowan Mathie and bred by Phillip Azar, SEEK GOLD, a 5-y-o chestnut mare by Tracking out of Ebony, was claimed as a winner out of her previous race from trainer Andrew McDonald for $250,000.

Although stepping up in class for this trophy, Mairs said he was confident of winning.

Good time

"You must remember that she won like an out-of-class horse in the good time of 1:35.0, and after working her the other morning I realised she was in great shape and ready to repeat," said Mairs, who is joint fifth in the standings with 26 wins this season.

Later in the afternoon, the 5-1 chance LITTLE WASP (Aaron Chatrie) floored the odds on stable-companion FLUFFY, the 1-2 favourite, to win the 3-y-o and up open allowance mile by 3¹/⁴ lengths. Both the winner and runner-up were saddled by champion and leading trainer Wayne DaCosta.

Mairs and champion Omar Walker shared the riding honours, with two winners each on the nine-race programme, which produced a stunning upset by OVERPRICED at 32-1 in the closing Alex's Imports Dig-Out Handicap, with Ameth Robles riding the grey colt for trainer Robert Darby Jr.