Rematches set for St. John Festival horse races on St. Thomas
Published: June 30, 2012
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ST. THOMAS - The Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack will host horse races for the first time since the Carnival Races more than two months ago, and three key rematches should grab the spotlight.
Really Uptown, out of Tortola, will attempt to hold off British cousin Good Prospecting and two other top horses from St. Thomas in the feature event at the St. John Festival Races on Sunday.
Six races are on the card and post time is 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
"All six of these races will be very nice," St. Thomas Racing Secretary Kareem Thompson said. "It will be a day of the rematch as all these horses have already battled it out this month."
Really Uptown won in convincing fashion over runner-up Good Prospecting during the Tortola Races on June 3. Bud White and Sweet Sight - both of St. Thomas - also competed in that race and all four will be back again on Sunday with the addition of Voice Of Faith.
Bud White has finished second twice and third once since he broke onto the scene with a win in the second leg of the Johnnie Walker V.I. Triple Crown Challenge on Feb. 19.
"The spoiler of the Triple Crown will be back on St. Thomas," Thompson said. "Sweet Sight always runs well on St. Thomas, too. He hasn't won outside of St. Thomas so it should be interesting what he does in this one."
The winner of the 1-mile, 70-yard race, dubbed the Love City Classic, will take home a majority of the $6,500 purse.
Good Prospecting repeated as Governor's Cup champion on April 27 - beating out Bud White by about two lengths - and should push Really Uptown for revenge. Voice Of Faith ran last on Tortola earlier in the month and will be racing up in class on Sunday.
The fourth race of the day will be a battle between the mares and fillies. Goodeveningofficer has won two of her last three but took runner-up to Out Of Wine on Tortola earlier this month.
"It's going to be another great rematch," Thompson said.
Miss Tequila, a recent purchase out of New York, will also enter the fray in the three-horse race. The 1-mile race will pay a winner-take-all $4,300 purse.
"The three camps got together and decided to let the winner get all the money," Thompson said. "You don't see that too often so it should be a great race. The third race will be like that, too."
Aircraft Intercept was recently sold to horse owners from St. Croix and will not compete in the third race leaving Twisted Dream and News Carrier to battle it out. The two-horse race will be six furlongs long and will award all $5,000 to the winner.
"News Carrier defeated Twisted Dream at the Carnival Races, but Twisted Dream came right back and won on Tortola last time out," Thompson said. "Another great rematch is all set."
Thompson said trophies will be presented to each of the six race winners by the board members of the St. Thomas-St. John Horseowners' Association.
After this weekend, the horse racing action shifts to St. Croix on July 8 and the next set of races back on St. Thomas are scheduled for September.
- Contact sports writer Aaron Gray at 714-9102 or email agray@dailynews.vi.
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