Money Market earns date with the big guns

MONEY MARKET, runner-up nine times from 24 starts, four consecutive since April, yesterday won his sixth lifetime race by outbattling stablemate SENSATIONAL MOVE at five furlongs straight, booking a ticket to what is bound to be another spell of misery facing open-allowance runners at the higher level.

Pretty much having the overnight-allowance race to themselves from the off, 6-5 favourite MONEY MARKET matched SENSATIONAL MOVE, stride for stride, for the first four furlongs before quickening away for a two-length win ahead of his stablemate, who had actually stepped up in class after beating $1.5m claimers in back-to-back races.

Clocking 59.2 at the trip, MONEY MARKET’s victory graduated him to open-allowance, throwing the five-year-old to the lions of open-allowance for his next start, mainly foreigners, some of whom placed in December’s grade-one Mouttet Mile but given clemency by the conditions book to compete in the lower class.

MONEY MARKET’s win with Paul Francis brought down the curtain on consecutive weekends of Saturday-Sunday meets to start July, which is rounded off by two Saturday meets before a pair of top-tier races for three-year-olds light up the Emancipendence weekend and midweek meets.

The 10-furlong Jamaica Oaks is set for Emancipation Day, Friday, August 1, followed by Saturday racing, August 2, then the big Jamaica Derby on Independence Day, Wednesday, August 6.

Jason DaCosta’s I DREAM AGAIN turned back Carl Anderson’s 1000 Guineas winner, BURNING HEDGE, in the July 6 Jamaica St Leger at 10 furlongs, spoiling the filly’s Triple Crown hopes, setting up an epic rematch in the Derby at 12 furlongs.

Reyan Lewis, 2023 champion jockey, shared lens time with 2024 title-holder and leading rider Raddesh Roman, both booting home two winners on the nine-race card.

Roman’s two-timer moved him farther into all-but-crowned territory in his title defence, 72, with Shane Ellis on 30, a speck in the leader’s rearview mirror.

Lewis moved to 24 winners, leapfrogging claiming rider Richie Shakes, 23, to grab fourth in the table behind third-placed Robert Halledeen on 26.