Erie’s Run is big man on St. Croix after defeating four rivals in the Bway Ah Bway, Big Man Ah Big Man Classic, and Leggy Blonde’s 4 ½ lengths victory in “The Big Gyal Rule Classic” shows that she rules the female division at the Randall “Doc” James Race track.
Also turning in a huge performance on race day was Starship Voyage out of St. Thomas, who destroyed three rivals in the sixth race, the five-furlong “Dash for Cash” in near record time.
A large crowd came out to the RDJ racetrack for the annual Labor Day card and were treated to 11 exciting races. The highly anticipated matchup between Expect Smoke and Erie’s Run, in the the Bway Ah Bway, did not prove to be much of a competition in the end as the latter pulled away in the stretch to win by 3 and a half lengths at the wire.
Erie’s Run had a slight advantage at the middle of the backstretch over Expect Smoke, when Temo’s Dream, who was last at that point, made a huge move around the far turn to grab the lead at the top of the stretch. Temo’s run brought the crowd to their feet as it looked as if he would pull off a huge upset.
However, that run to the front proved to be a premature move by the jockey, and Erie’s Run and Expect Smoke were both able to run by Temo’s by mid-stretch. Erie’s Run covered the 1-1/16 mile tenth race in 1:44.2. Expect Smoke was a clear second, while a tiring Temo’s Dream held off Political Reporter for third.
In the ninth race of the day, the 1 1/16 miles “Big Gyal Rule Classic”, Leggy Blonde was fastest out of the gates to take the early lead, and she did not look back as she went on to wire the field in a not too shabby time of 1:45.4.
She did it in a running style unfamiliar to her fans and after the track announcer voiced the half mile time of 46 seconds, many murmurs could be heard that she was going too fast and would certainly tire badly in the stretch. However, this mare, an import that came to St. Croix as an unraced 3-year-old, had no quit in her.
The highly touted Finish in Style did rush up to challenge the front-running Leggy Blonde during the run down the backstretch, but she withered around the far turn and her jockey apparently realized that it would be best to try and hold on to second, which he did. Whoshotthesheriff was a disappointed third.
Starship Voyage’s 57.3 seconds for the five furlongs, in the sixth race, was two-fifths of a second off of the track record of 57.1 set by another St. Thomas horse, Cayuni Waters, on July 5, 2009.
The rest of the day’s results:
Race1 5 F Classes N-6, Jockey
Time: 1:02.2
1. Slew Them, Sasha Ortiz
2. Dehroadismine, Steven Powell
3. Joe Boss, Jose Hernandez
Race2 7 ½ F Class I-5 (M/F), Jockey
Time: 1:33.3
1. Pasodefango, Alphanso Claudio
2. MJ Kailahsafe, Jesus Guadelupe
3. Excessively Classy, Miguel Davis
Race3 7 ½ F Classes N-5, Jockey
Time: 1:36.3
1. Small Fortune, Sasha Ortiz
2. Kings of Kings, Elmo Barnes
3. Papa Berin, Winston Hurst
Race4 1 1/16 M Class I-5, Jockey
Time: 1:45.2
1. Salty Glider, Edwin Soto
2. According to Jesus, Jose Hernandez
3. Tulsa Boy, Steven Powell
Race5 1M Class I-4 & I-5, Jockey
Time: 1:39.1
1. San Viron, Jesus Guadelupe
2. Black Machine, Jose Hernandez
3. Ala Cat, Alberto Ojeda
Race7 1M “Native Rhythm Classic”, Jockey,
Time: 1:42.1
1. Creation Rebel, Jose Hernandez
2. Dinero, Luis Negron
3. Express to Cali, Leroy Nelson
Race8 1M Class I-2&I-3, Jockey
Time: 1:37.3
1. Trouble at Home, Elmo Barnes
2. Puertorican Emblem, Jose Hernandez
3. Black Jack Bob, Edwin Soto
Race11 7F Class I-4 M/F, Jockey
Time: 1:33.1
1. Destiny Arrival, Christian Soto jr.
2. Rasta Queen, Winston Hurst
3. Dance mistress, Sasha Ortiz
