LEGACY ISLE made light work of rivals in yesterday’s Reggae Trophy at five furlongs straight, pocketing 50 Mouttet Mile points in his first start since finishing as runner-up in the event for the second consecutive year, beaten by RIDEALLDAY in the US$300,000 race last December.
Runner-up to FUNCAANDUN in the 2024 Mouttet Mile, caught at the wire by his fellow American, speedy LEGACY ISLE stamped his class on PACK PLAYS for a sixth straight race, clocking 57.2 for an almost 11-length win.
Two-time defending champion rider Raddesh Roman paced the Shackleford-Queenameina colt onto the main track before asking the six-year-old to explode over the last two furlongs, pulling clear of his five rivals while shouldering topweight 126lb.
LEGACY ISLE, who had returned late December to stroll 1:04.2 in the Chris Armond Sprint at five and a half furlongs after his Mouttet Mile loss, allowed PACK PLAYS 12lb, repeating in 57.2, the exact time he had clocked at the trip in May of 2025.
Runner-up PACK PLAYS earned 30 points towards qualification for the 2026 Mouttet Mile, taking his tally to 150 after victories in the early season Eileen Cliggott Memorial and Chairman’s Trophy at six and a half and seven and a half furlongs, respectively.
Defending champion RIDEALLDAY has already qualified, scoring a track-record run in the recent win-and-you’re-in Ian Levy Cup.
Last year’s Bruceontheloose Cup winner, OF A REVOLUTION, shares joint third on 110 points with BARNABY and GIRVANO, followed by SUPERNATURAL POWER on 90, an All-American cast to round off the top-five.
Caught trying to steal consecutive Mouttet Mile races from in front, grabbed at the wire by FUNCAANDUN in 2024 and obliterated in the stretch run by RIDEALLDAY last year, LEGACY ISLE, at age six, could have his last hurrah in December.
As the season progresses, LEGACY ISLE will be aiming at one of two grade-one races in June, the Eros Trophy at seven furlongs or the SVL 24th Anniversary at five and a half, after which he could go full tilt at July’s Diamond Mile, the year’s second win-and-you’re-in.
Roman shared riding honours with Robert Halledeen and Dane Dawkins after opening the 10-race card astride WILSON for trainer Oral Hayden whose WAYNE’S PRINCESS won the fifth by a heart-stopping nose.
Partnered by Dawkins, who had earlier won the third aboard MISS MARBELLA for Peter-John Parsard, 4-1 chance WAYNE’S PRINCESS produced her customary late charge to nail 15-1 outsider LUCY IN THE SKY stealing home after she had shaken off rail-running PRINCE ROY.
Meanwhile, Halledeen closed the nine-race card with a gate-to-wire win astride CALIFORNIA CROWN at six furlongs after earlier landing the sixth event with owner-trainer David Powell’s debutant, SUPER DAVID, who turned heads with a 10-length win in the Harry Jaghai Memorial Trophy.
SUPER DAVID clocked 1:20.2 at six and a half furlongs against fellow three-year-old maidens, putting himself into contention for June’s 2000 Guineas.
A $600,000 buy at the 2024 Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association of Jamaica Mixed Sale, SUPER DAVID (Patton Proud-Strorm Girl) was bred by Karl Samuda, who had similarly sold two-time Horse of the Year, Atomica, to the late Don Wehby for $700,000.
Horse of the Year 2022 and 2023, Atomica retired to the breeding shed last September with a record of 17 wins, six second-place finishes, and three third-place efforts from 32 starts, amassing earnings just shy of $32 million.
Racing continues with a Saturday-Sunday meet at the weekend.
