Crown Prince holds off Just Exhale to claim Gold Cup

CROWN PRINCE held off a gutsy challenge from Just Exhale, in the final 200 metres, to win the Edmund De Freitas Gold Cup, on the final day of action in the 2022 Arima Race Club (ARC) season.

This was one of two feature races on the ARC’s Race Day 19 programme.

With a purse of $100,350 on offer in the 2,000-metre race, the three-year-old Crown Prince, with Kimal Santo aboard, burst out of the blocks quickest, but was overtaken, before the first turn, by Supremacy, with Ricardo Jadoo aboard.

Supremacy stayed in front of his seven rivals until the halfway stage, when Crown Prince regained the lead, followed by Making Headlines (with Naim Samaroo aboard) and the 6-5 odds-on favourite Soca Harmony (ridden by Brian Boodramsingh).

Crown Prince tried to stretch his lead but Just Exhale, ridden by Jovika Boodramsingh, put up a fight, as the bunch entered the final bend.

It was a neck-and-neck battle between the pair, but the John O’Brien-trained Crown Prince had enough in the tank to hold off the Terrance Thomas-trained Just Exhale to prevail, in a time of two minutes 10.4 seconds.

Soca Harmony was third, followed by Finishing Touch, Wise Guy, Stroke of Luck, Supremacy and Making Headlines.

In the other co-feature – the Bonanza Riding Stables St James/St Ann’s Stakes, Hello World emerged victorious, with Harts Cap and Blinding Lights trailing.

Dillon Khelawan and Brian Boodramsingh were the top jockeys with two wins apiece, while O’Brien was the main trainer on the day, with a pair of victories.

The 2023 season will begin on January 28.