March 8, 2009 — Jockey Junior Inero had a Sunday that would go down in the record books, winning five of the six pre-Carnival races held at Clinton Phipps Racetrack on St. Thomas.
Already racking up three wins going into the fifth and feature race, Inero was the underdog, riding the unknown Men Only out of California. Going against him in the one-mile race were two of the territory's premier horses: Silver Horn and former St. Thomas champ Kentucky Kris.
As the horses broke from the gate, Silver Horn pulled out in front, followed closely by Men Only and Kentucky Kris. Coming around the first bend, Men Only and Silver Horn were neck and neck, battling for first, while Kentucky Kris fell seriously behind. As they came down the front stretch, it was still Silver Horn leading by a head, with Kris pulling up the rear.
As they came down the backstretch, heading toward the bend, Men Only made his move, taking the lead into the final bend by two lengths. As they came down the final stretch, it was all Men Only, and with such a big lead, Inero even had time to celebrate as he crossed the finish line with a time of 1:38:3. By that time, Kris managed a comeback, pulling into second, while Silver Horn came in third.
"The horse ran like we expected him to run — he ran a great race," said Rudy Clarke, owner of Bovoni Stables. "The other horse, Silver Horn, held onto him there for a while, though, so it was a real good race. Overall the day has been excellent — the crowd is here, the people are here, all the different colors are here and that's what horse racing is all about."
Men Only could be the island's next champ, Clarke said.
"Right now, we're looking toward the Governor's Cup, and then we just got to wait and see what's what," he said. "A horse is made to beat a horse, so anything could happen."
Sunday's winners were:
— First race, 7 furlongs: Mysterious Flyer, 1:27:1
— Second race, 1 mile, 70 yards: Vocal Defense, 1:44:1
— Third Race, 7 furlongs: Man the Torpedoes, 1:25
— Fourth Race (Mare and Filly Classic), 1 mile: Bold Cleo, also making her St. Thomas debut, 1:37:2
— Sixth Race, 6 furlongs: Vivid Cat, 1:10:3
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