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Excitement marks Ellis Thomas Downs’ Fun Day
In the first 6 furlongs sprint race, Power Ten proved to be too rich for Pocket Change who was making his debut on the track, pulling off an easy victory in a time of 1:22.2.
The race was not without drama though, as it appeared that Pocket Change suffered some amount of injury as he pulled up gingerly following the race and headed immediately for the stables.
Following the race, Power Ten’s owner, Roger White aka Kumo of Zion Stables said he was happy that the race came off alright and stated that he was expecting a good outcome at the August Tuesday races and a better showing of crowd support.
The second race, a 7 furlongs clash between Good Boy Daddy and Original Runner, was the closest of the day as the horses ran neck and neck for most of the pace. Original Runner though, emerged the victor in 1:35.1 as he pulled off the upset with the aid of Campbell once again.
True Essence was the beneficiary of a poor start on the part of Orithyia in the 7 furlongs race for mares and fillies, emerging with a back stretch lead of nearly 20 lengths before Orithyia even left the gate.
Things heated up very much on the homestretch though, as the gap was almost entirely closed near the finish even as True Essence brought home the victory in a time of 1:45.2. She was ahead by just one length in the race, again ridden by Campbell.
The intervening period saw light entertainment provided by what seemed to be an attempt at a donkey race. The race never quite got going as the stubborn carriers seemed to have other ideas instead, producing a series of falls and bellowing laughter from the small crowd.
The final race of the day, another 7 furlongs clash between Square One and All country, was won by Square One of Top Priority racing stables, handing Campbell his only loss of the day. Square One pipped All Country with a time of 1:31.4.
Following the race, horse owner Lesmore Smith said he didn’t feel that the fun day was supported as much as the Association would have loved, “it’s one of those days we realise that in the BVI, we have a lot of shortage in horses,” he said.
He described the injury received by debut horse, Pocket Change as another setback but added, “we thank the fans that came out. It was a great day for those that came out and for us as horse owners, we enjoyed it. The races were exciting even though it didn’t go the way some of us wanted it to go.”
2013 Triple Crown and Governor’s Cup winner, Really Uptown, briefly made an appearance for the fans in a show of appreciation as he took a workout run around the track. Once completed, Uptown was sure to acknowledge the applause as he soaked up the fans’ adoration.
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