BARNABY left it late yesterday to mow down stablemate NEO STAR close home, winning the ‘Lindy’ Delapenha Memorial at a mile in 1:39.2, down two classes among overnight-allowance winners.
Seventh-place finisher in the 2024 Mouttet Mile, BARNABY had last raced August 23, returning off a near five-month lay-up, finishing fourth behind GIRVANO, FUNCAANDUN and BLUE VINYL in the Distinctly Irish at nine furlongs and 25 yards.
Prior to that run, BARNABY had humbled two-time Horse of the Year ATOMICA in back-to-back races last season, clocking a stakes record 1:43.4 in April’s Ian Levy at eight and a half furlongs.
Granted a ridiculous class-relief, two rungs down the ladder by the condition book, BARNABY could afford to sit fifth down the backstretch, boxed in along the rail by MARK MY IDENTITY, before going after NEO STAR a furlong out.
Exploding against the rail with Raddesh Roman, BARNABY’s class difference was all too obvious as he finished a deceptive three-quarters of a length ahead of NERO.
Bebeto Harvey won two races, coming from behind with Ian Roberts’ bred, trained and owned
SO LUCKY AM I at odds of 8-1 to stun 1-2 favourite WAH A GWAAN in the Mercury Sprint at five furlongs straight.
Harvey, who had challenged Omar Walker relentlessly in 2016 for his fifth of six jockeys’ titles, and won the inaugural Mouttet Mile in 2022 aboard Philip Feanny’s EXCESSIVE FORCE, marked his resurgence by closing the nine-race card astride 6-5 favourite TIGERAMEDAT, collaring Robert Halledeen trying to steal a march with HIGH DIPLOMACY.
Dane Dawkins rounded off the year’s first dual meet on six winners after landing a half of Saturday’s 10-race card.
Champion jockey in 2022 and wintering locally from Canada’s Assiniboia Downs since August’s Jamaica Derby, Dawkins’ Saturday heroics moved him from fourth in the riders’ table to second on nine winners, to which he added MULLIGAN MAN yesterday, motoring from off the pace with the United States-bred three-year-old to land the fifth at five and a half furlongs on his second outing at odds of 3-1.
