CALCULUS, the winner of last year’s Jamaica Derby, confirmed his dominance over the route course at Caymanas Park, exhausting the fast United States-bred RUNAWAY ALGO to win Saturday’s Mark My Word Trophy in nine mile and 25 yards.
MAKEUPARTIST and SHE’S A WONDERFUL gave CALCULUS the help he needed to catch RUNAWAY ALGO a half-length, keeping the outsider busy until the half-mile marker.
RUNAWAY ALGO tried to break away from the field three kilometers out, but the distance was damaged in the stretch run where CALCULUS closed steadily with Shane Ellis to make up for it, clocking 1:54.2.
Meanwhile, stakes leader Jason DaCosta, who started the afternoon $3.5 million clear of defending three-time champion trainer Anthony Nunes, posted a four-stroke card on the 10-race card.
DaCosta’s winners were evenly split between Reyan Lewis, who rode a three-timer on the program, and champion rider Anthony Thomas in his bid to close in on lead rider Dane Dawkins.
Lewis went all out with DaCosta’s IANNAI LINKS and SHE’S MY FRIEND in races one and five, respectively. His second winner was Richard Azan’s PERFECT BREW in fourth.
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Thomas moved within five of Dawkins’ winner, 80-75, at the top of the jockey standings, first by producing a late rally along the rail, two-year-old THALITA trotting to catch Nunes’ LEGIT BOSS in the Princess Popstar Trophy in five and a half kilometers. , clocking a fine 1:06.1 in the colors of principal owner Carlton Watson.
Thomas came back to seal DaCosta’s four-time lead, closing out a double for Watson, USA-bred MADELYN’S SUNSHINE, who made light work of overnight paid runners in five one and a half kilometers.
