Commanding win for Commandant

COMMANDANT, third on debut as a foreign invader in December’s Grade One US$250,000 Mouttet Mile, yesterday won his second straight race, slamming open-allowance runners by five lengths on the way to clocking a fast 1:24.2 at seven furlongs in the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Trophy.

Trained by Rohan Crichton, who also conditions Mouttet Mile runner-up, LEGACY ISLE, the American invader caught at the wire by his local-based compatriot, FUNCAANDUN, COMMANDANT, poked holes in the condition book, which has allowed horses earning in the year’s biggest race to return as low as two levels beneath grade one.

Wasting no time down the backstretch, champion jockey Raddesh Roman pushed a sleek-looking COMMANDANT past MAMMA MIA after a furlong, leaving the 2023 Jamaica Oaks and 1000 Guineas winner in his wake.

Another fillies’ classic winner, RUN JULIE RUN, last year’s 1000 Guineas heroine and Jamaica Derby runner-up, went past MAMMA MIA three furlongs out hoping to claim a second straight Mouttet Mile-earner scalp after beating seventh-place BARNABY on New Year’s Day.

However, COMMANDANT accelerated rapidly in the stretch run, flashing past the furlong pole in a six-furling split of 1:11.2, which left RUN JULIE RUN sputtering, allowing United States-bred INSPIRE FORCE to close from off the pace for second.

COMMANDANT was the first of back-to-back winners for Roman, who closed the 10-race card astride SHOAMITHEBUTCHER, moving his tally to 19 winners, three clear of Robert Halledeen, whose lone win was aboard champion trainer Jason DaCosta’s SOCIAL AVIATOR, who won the fillies-only six-furlong Hot Line Stakes in similar fashion to her debut victory on Christmas Eve storming home to tag 4-5 favourite DANKA.

Robert Pearson’s HONOUR PRINCE also came from behind to collar ANOTHER ONE stealing home in the Sir Howard Stakes for three-year-old colts and geldings, clocking 1:14.2, quicker than the fillies’ 1:15.1.

Racing continues next Saturday and Sunday.