Top class field for Sandy Lane Gold Cup

Colonel’s Pride will become the first horse to represent St Lucia in the Sandy Lane Gold Cup.

The gelding, which finished second in the 2019 Pitons Cup, is owned by the China Horse Club and will be a star attraction.

The prestigious China Horse Club is also the owner of 2018 Triple Crown hero Justify.

President of the Barbados Turf Club, Sir David Seale whose horses from his Hopefield Farm have won seven Gold Cups, the most by any owner, will be looking for number eight as his recently imported Renaissance Frolic towers over the field in terms of performances, having won two Black type races in the USA.

The five-year-old gelding won the Armed Force Stakes at Gulf Stream Park as a two-year-old and also won the Bear Den Stakes at the same track.

Renaissance Frolic won three of his last four starts last year and has won six races from 23 starts over his career, and with victories at Gulfstream Park and Indiana Grand Race Course, seems to be one of the favourites to win next month’s Sandy Lane Gold Cup.

Recently imported by Legends of Racing Barn, four- year-old USA bred Rising Star looks like an interesting prospect, even though it has only won once from 13 starts. The 4-year-old colt ran third in the Queen’s Plate Trail before finishing ninth in the most important 3-year-old race in Canada, the Queen’s Plate. His lone win came on the  Turf course at Woodbine, Canada which is a similar surface to that of the Garrison Savannah.

Two horses have run in the Queen’s Plate before winning the Sandy Lane Gold Cup. 2010 Gold Cup winner Sterwins who placed second in the 2006 running of the Queen’s Plate and 2018 Gold Cup winner Sir Dudley Digges who won the Queen’s Plate in 2016.

What seems to be a top-class field so far is boosted by Trinidad entry, Trini Aviator, which recently finished second in the Sians Gold Sprint on New Years Day at Arima.

Trini Aviator has won distance races and is looking to become Trinidad’s fourth  Gold Cup winner. His most impressive race in Trinidad came on March 3, 2018, when he went 1500 meters in a time of 1:31.

The rest of the field is completed by defending champion Celestial Storm, last year’s third placed horse Night Prowler, Bodie Tap, Awesome April, Run Bayou, Burdines and Debonaire David.