Promising 2-year-old Best Director is dead

The promising two-year-old filly BEST DIRECTOR, who romped the September 17 running of the Winnie Anglin Memorial Cup over the round-five course, had to be put down yesterday, a victim of laminitis.

According to owner/trainer/breeder Lorenzo Robinson, BEST DIRECTOR sustained an injury in the starting gate when the debutante MAGNA CUM LAUDE delayed the start and was declared a late non-starter. Despite this, she won by six lengths with Paul 'Country' Francis aboard, covering the distance in the smart time of 1:00.2.

Robinson said the filly was being treated with butes for the laminitis, but the situation got worse. The vet subsequently advised that she be put down (euthanised).

BEST DIRECTOR scored once from three starts with stakes of $553,000.

She provided Robinson with the first win of his career, having graduated with 22 other new trainers nine days earlier after successfully completing the JRC course for assistant trainers. He was, in fact, the first from the batch to saddle a winner.

Robinson said he had high hopes for BEST DIRECTOR and, in the circumstances, was saddened by her death.

"This was a filly with enormous potential and she will be hard to replace," he said.

"The plan was to run her in the Supreme Ventures 2-y-o series, and now that she's gone, it is my hope that I can breed another with her ability and potential," added Robinson, who is the owner of Spring Park Stud Farm in St Elizabeth.