Today is Christmas Day but the final day of the Arima Race Club’s 2024 racing season takes place on Boxing Day. The 2024 racing season would have spanned 13 race days, a far cry from the 30-plus race days that regularly occurred in the 2010s.
While there were a few bright spots throughout the year, the general feeling is that the local racing industry remains in intensive care and, since any infusion of funds by those responsible for the sport is being achieved through the sale of assets, the remaining extent of monetizable assets is left to be seen.
The racing industry in many other parts of the world has rebounded from the floor in the past and that remains the only glimmer of hope for the die-hard lovers of the sport in this country.
It should be noted that the decline of horse racing is in no way indicative of the loss of appetite for gambling by many citizens of this country. Instead, it has been caused by the proliferation of loosely regulated alternatives such as casinos (also known as private member clubs) and individual gaming outlets spread across the country in bars and groceries.
The playing field between those alternatives and horse racing is not level and if the powers can do one thing to assist the sport in 2025, which does not involve them having to reach into the country’s seemingly bare coffers, it would be to tighten the regulatory oversight of the alternatives or loosen that on horse racing. Gambling is a great distraction for a besieged population, and it may prove to be good politics for those in charge of the sport to explore low-cost options which could redound to its benefit.
On the track itself, purchasing a few low-cost animals with breeding potential did inject some new life into the sport with almost all these American-bred animals proving competitive in the local context. Pride of place among them is the five-year-old mare Sneaky Cheeky who has won three of her five races including her last time out success in the Stewards Cup over 1,200 metres. She returns on Boxing Day to try and upset the best horse in the country, Hello World, in that day’s feature, the First Citizens Gold Cup.
Hello World has won all his starts in 2024 and if he wins this event will seal "Horse of the Year" honours – if he is upset by Sneaky Cheeky, the mare is likely to secure the honours for this season. They have met once before when Sneaky Cheeky was having her second start in the Independence Cup – she was well beaten that day but appears a much-improved horse since.
On the other hand, Hello World has not been seen on the course for a few months and while his trainer is adept at preparing horses from a long layoff, he will have to be close to his best to defeat this much-improved version of Sneaky Cheeky. None of the others in the event appeal as having much of a winning chance with the likes of Striking Chrome and possibly The Goddess Nike having place chances at best.
It was interesting that O’Brien chose to aim his two Derby winners – In the Headlines and Headlines Again – at another race over 1,200m rather than contesting the Cup to try and secure at least a place position. The tactical battle between Sneaky Cheeky and Hello World should be intriguing and I have a sneaky feeling that the mare might come out on top.
The second feature on the day’s card is the Juvenile Championship over 1,350m. The race features the two winners of the juvenile races this season – Marmalade for the Glenn Mendez stables and Headliner for O’Brien.
Headliner won his debut over 1,100m comfortably though the horses he beat had been well held by Marmalade when they faced her earlier in the season. Marmalade then contested two events against older rivals and was first and third in them – over 1,350m and 1,200m, respectively. But for her last time-out defeat, Marmalade would be an overwhelming favourite in this event but she looked vulnerable that day and it will be interesting to see whether her wily trainer can get her back to her best, however, the news that she will utilise lasix for the first time could explain the last run. Outside of the top two, the main competitor may very well lie with one of the unraced horses with O’Brien saddling two interesting ones in Bourbon Blitz and Sydney while Red Alert’s brother Showtime may also finally make his debut for trainer Johnathan Lyder. The experience and precocity of Marmalade may be enough for her to get back to winning ways in this feature.
Of the rest of the card, the aforementioned In the Headlines and Headlines Again will square off in the day’s opener against two Lester Alexis trainees and the race is a bit of a headscratcher. At their best, both should be too good for their rivals but that is not assured with niggling issues affecting them both. Races four and six are very competitive with Derby third, Forever Grand returning in the former and Derby second, Secret Pages, contesting the latter. Both should be good races and it is hoped that those types of races feature more prominently in 2025.
With the closing of the season tomorrow, the various champions will be crowned with O’Brien winning another trainer’s title though 2024 will be memorable for jockey Dillon Khelawan, as he will be crowned champion jockey for the first time, after a narrow miss in 2023. Dillon has kept the faith with Trinidad even though many of his counterparts from the 2010s and early 2020s left these shores to try their luck in North America. He would no doubt have been at least as successful as they are but his preference to remain at home will be deservedly rewarded tomorrow.
Champion apprentice title could still go down to the wire between Tristan Phillips and Richard Balgobin although the former has a three-win lead heading into the final day. Both have rides in all six races on the day’s card. Tristan’s three-win lead may just be too much for Richard to overhaul. The champion horse will be determined by the outcome of the Gold Cup.
All that remains is for me to wish readers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year, a sentiment that we all hope will also extend to the sport we love in the country, we love in 2025.
