Owner and trainer Mark ‘Bird’ Armstrong will be hoping that Deja Vu can bring him a repeat win in the Michael Parravicino Memorial Hopeful Breeders Stakes for locally bred 3-year-olds when the race runs off tomorrow at the Garrison Savannah.
The Michael Parravicino Hopeful will be race eight on the nine-race card and will see nine horses going over 1570 metres. It carries a purse of $20,000 plus $12,155.00
Deju Vu will be looking to follow her dam Vanity Affair, who won the Michael Parravicino Memorial Hopeful Breeders Stakes in 2013. She will be carried to post by champion jockey Rasheed Hughes carrying 121 pounds and has drawn gate eight.
Undisputed, who is bred from Barbados Guineas winner Lady Constance, tasted his first defeat in his second start, finishing second to Deja Vu on Boxing Day after he was caught on the finish line, and will be back once again to try to live up to his name.
Deja Vu (left) will be one of the favourites.
Undisputed, who was ridden by Hughes in his only two starts will have Affrie Ward in the saddle.
The father and son team of Steven and Alan Madoo won the Hopeful in 2016 with Steven Allan and will be represented this time around by Semper Fi who won his first start on November 23rd, 2019, but finished third on Boxing Day behind Deju Vu and Undisputed.
Semper Fi, who has now moved from the Robert Pierce stable to the Richard Deane barn, looks like a classy sort and will be a serious contender in this top-class field with five of the 10 runners winning their last starts and three of them finishing in the top three in their last efforts.
It should be the most competitive Hopeful Stakes in the history of the event.
Eric Daniel will ride Semper Fi once again carrying 123 pounds and has drawn gate five.
All colts and geldings will take 123 pounds.
The attractive-looking Conflict of Interest, now owned by Mr Arjay and also trained by Richard Deane ran a stellar race when defeating Ollivander in his last start on December 26th in the Diamonds International Stakes at 1100 meters and will be stepping up to 1570 meters for the first time like most of the field.
Having the same race record as Semper Fi and Undisputed, it will be very interesting to see if any can upset Deja Vu.
Rickey Walcott will be aboard Conflict of Interest.
The rest of the field is completed by Ollivander, Oprah, Jordan, Whispering Angel and St Davids.
My selection: Deja Vu, Semper fi, Undisputed, Conflict of Interest
Post time for the first race on the exciting nine-race card is 1 pm.
