BY RUDDY ALLEN Observer Racing Writer
Monday, December 15, 2014
The speedy chestnut gelding Crucial Appeal produced what can be described as a ‘super sprinting display’ to take the seventh race, an Open Allowance event with an electrifying run at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Trained by Patrick Lynch, Crucial Appeal, who ran a blinder to finish third by a length in the Caribbean Sprint, broke well and was held off the pace by Paul Francis behind Rio Cobre (Shamaree Muir up), Step It Up (Robert Halledeen astride) and Fortuneonehundred (Shane Ellis aboard) for the first 150 metres of the 1,100-metre race for three-year-olds and upward.
When asked to go by Francis, Crucial Appeal responded well and began to surround horses before he drew away from the field approaching the home bend.
Although shortening a bit in the final 100 metres, the offspring of Crucial Trial-Late Appeal by Appealing Guy had done just enough to hold on for a three-quarter length victory from the fast-finishing Border Line, the mount of Dane Nelson.
Rock Union (O’Brien White in the saddle) was third ahead of Phineas (Jevvanne Erwin).
Owned by Hamark Farms and bred by Edison Chai, Crucial Appeal covered the distance in a career best of 1:04:3 minutes behind splits 22:2 and 45:0 seconds on a fast racing surface that brought the curtains down on the final Sunday race meet at Caymanas Park for the 2014 season.
Meanwhile, Herecomesthebreeze easily romped the feature, the Joseph Armond Memorial Trophy going over the spectator’s trip of 1,820 metres.
With Larris Allen asked to do the duties by trainer Fitzroy Glispie, who is also a part owner along with Hayden Thomas, Hercomesthebreeze made what turned out to be a decisive move when hitting the front full of running just ahead of Natashadontplay (Shamaree Muir) turning for home, and from there on was never caught as the bay filly cruised to an easy six-and-a-half lengths victory.
Natashadontplay finished second and Wright Away (Jevvanne Erwin) was third with All That Matter (Omar Simpson) in fourth. The winning time was 1:58:3 minutes.
Racing continues next Saturday.
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Crucial Appeal outsprints rivals to steal spotlight
