Further and Beyond back to his best

FURTHER AND BEYOND used his back class to go by GREEN GOLD RUSH two and a half furlongs out, easily winning yesterday’s Hubert Bartley Memorial by a length and a half, following his brave effort against PERFECT BREW in the Alsafra Trophy off an 11-month break on June 10.

Unlike journeyman Ameth Robles, who allowed the 2021 Horse of the Year to peel 10 lengths clear down the backstretch in the Alsafra, Bebeto Harvey sat third with the five-year-old before making his move leaving the half-mile marker.

FURTHER AND BEYOND collared GREEN GOLD RUSH entering the straight and powered home in 1:34.1 as the prohibitive 1-9 favourite among overnight-allowance runners. GREEN GOLD RUSH stayed on for second, another big run from the six-year-old, who confirmed his improvement under Dalton Sirjue’s care, holding off twin challenges from POWER and D HEAD CORNERSTONE to secure the runner-up spot.

Donovan Hutchinson, who nursed FURTHER AND BEYOND back to competitive shape after the former grade-one winner moved from Anthony Nunes’ barn, was met in the winners’ enclosure by his batchmates from the 2023 graduating class of trainers, who doused him for saddling his first winner.

The Reggae 6 Mandatory Payout returned $50,477, closed by 9-5 chance A GIFT FROM BEN in the previous event. Though there were no upsetters in the Reggae 6, a $12 million carryover from Saturday, ensured a decent payout.

However, back-to-back stunners - 33-1 shocker BOX BOX and 8-1 market-springer SUPERIO – turned the Ketch 9 on its head in the last two races.

BOX BOX dramatically won the ninth event at five furlongs straight with Jerome Innis dangling aboard the United States-bred runner. BOX BOX attempted to make a right turn into the tunnel on approaching the winning post, which an alert Innis corrected.

Despite Innis’ best efforts, which enabled him to stay aboard the chestnut filly, going past the winning post, BOX BOX continued hanging to her right, forcing the rider to jettison the American in the vicinity of the winners’ enclosure.

SUPERIO made all with claiming rider Jawara Steadman, beating another outsider, 17-1 shot SKYRIZI, to close the 10-race card.

Racing continues on Saturday with Richard Azan’s 2000 Guineas winner, MOJITO, as the horse to beat in the Jamaica St Leger to open July’s schedule of meets.