Commandant, Funcaandun renew rivalry

SATURDAY’S IAN Levy Cup at eight and a half furlongs pits Mouttet Mile winner FUNCAANDUN against third-past-the-post COMMANDANT in what will be a matter of which of the two emerged the better horse from the richest and toughest race of last season.

Gold Cup winner FUNCAANDUN made it eight wins from 11 starts in the Mouttet Mile, whereas Florida-invader COMMANDANT was making his debut on local soil, 11 days after leaving quarantine at Plumb Point, Port Royal.

Unacclimatised, COMMANDANT turned for home almost abreast FUNCAANDUN, going in chase of stablemate LEGACY ISLE, who had taken over from a weakening PACK PLAYS.

However, FUNCAANDUN proved strongest in the stretch run, Robert Halledeen riding a picture-perfect race to shift his mount out of trouble when Florida-based Venezuelan Emisael Jaramillo dug into his bag of tricks a furlong out, switching to left-handed whipping, drifting LEGACY ISLE to mid-track.

COMMANDANT stayed on under Dane Nelson for third, finishing a length and a quarter behind FUNCAANDUN, who returns off a four-month break for the rematch in the Ian Levy.

After being thrown in at the deep end for his first race on local soil, COMMANDANT trampled overnight and open-allowance company, victories for which the handicapper has burdened him with topweight 126lb without a grade-one victory to his credit.

Trainer Rohan Crichton’s appeal against the rating was tossed, leaving COMMANDANT sharing topweight with four-time grade-one winner FUNCAANDUN, who he had allowed five pounds in the Mouttet Mile.

COMMANDANT could very well be a better horse than FUNCAANDUN, considering he wasn’t two weeks out of quarantine when finishing a length and a quarter third in the Mouttet Mile. However true that educated speculation might turn out to be, ratings should not be imagined but, instead, determined by performance on the racetrack.

If it is that COMMANDANT’s two victories, none of which were against grade-one runners, suddenly catapults him to being one of the country’s top-rated horses, why was he allowed to drop two classes to trample overnight-allowance runners after finishing third against the best of the best in the Mouttet Mile?

COMMANDANT, who blazed 1:05.3 for five and a half furlongs at exercise a month ago before clocking 1:24.3 for seven furlongs when winning on March 15, appears fully acclimatised, which gives him the nod against off-the-break FUNCAANDUN.