40th Sandy Lane Gold Cup; Fans, Horsepeople Flock to Barbados

Saturday’s return of the Sandy Lane Gold Cup (Bar-1) at the Garrison Savannah near Bridgetown, Barbados is set to be the largest attended edition of the 40-year-old Caribbean classic, which has not been run since 2020 due to the Covic-19 pandemic. The excitement for the Gold Cup, a turf race for older horses at about 1 1/8 miles, has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks with the arrival of several American invaders including a pair from leading owner Ken Ramsey.

There are two other Group 1s on the card including the Spa Sprint featuring current Barbados superstar DOMINUS, who has won six straight races.

Ramsey arrived in Barbados on Thursday, March 2 to visit TALLAHATCHIEBRIDGE, a lightly-raced homebred four-year-old by Will Take Charge, and AMERICAN DIAMOND, by American Pharoah, claimed from his latest win for $35,000 at Gulfstream Park. Both horses are trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. and will be saddled by Woodbine trainer RANDY THOMPSON.

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There are plenty of Canadian horsepeople connected to this year’s Gold Cup in addition to Thompson. Among them is Woodbine’s multiple Canadian champion jockey PATRICK HUSBANDS, who rides in his first Gold Cup in several years and seeks his fifth win in his hometown race aboard Tallahatchiebridge. RICO WALCOTT, a multiple champion rider in Alberta, will ride American Diamond. TED HOLDER, who also trains at Woodbine, claimed SO SUAVE (Ire) from a Woodbine victory in November and prepared that horse and Gulfstream claim IT’S A GAMBLE before they were shipped to Barbados.

Hundreds of horsepeople and fans from all over the world are visiting Barbados this week for the Gold Cup including Oaklawn Park host NANCY HOLTHUS and JEFF LIFSON, the executive vice president of West Point Thoroughbreds, shareholders in the great Flightline.

“The way people embrace the races here is phenomenal,” said Lifson in an interview with Sean Hall, who was also a trainer in Canada and is the curator of the popular Journeys, the Talk Show. “And it’s not just people who know horses, there are people all around the racetrack.”

A competitive field of nine has been entered for the Gold Cup which is race 9 on a 10-race card at the Garrison. First race post is 1:00 p.m. (12:00 EST). The Gold Cup is set for 6:10 p.m. (5:10 EST). You can watch the live stream of the races here.

Favouritism in the Gold Cup could land on Tallahatchiebridge, who finished fast to win an allowance race on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 4 with an 82 Beyer Speed Figure. Ramsey has won three Gold Cups including one with Husbands riding. There will be plenty of support for It’s a Gamble, a son of English Channel, who won the Jersey Derby in 2021 on the dirt at Monmouth Park and was recently a troubled fourth in a $35,000 claiming race at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Mark Goodridge and trained by Romy Lovell, It’s a Gamble will have Jalon Samuel aboard. Samuel has won the most Gold Cups at five.

So Suave (Ire) was on a roll when he left Woodbine and then won the prep for the Gold Cup in his Barbados debut, the Coolmore Stakes, with Husbands riding. The six-year-old horse is owned by Nalicia Cozier and trained by Jean Marc Cozier.

MO HAWK, a son of Uncle Mo who cost $925,000 as a yearling, also comes off a win. The six-year-old speedster won a $35,000 claiming race at Gulfstream on Dec. 22 and was purchased by Peter Odle. He is trained by Robert Peirce and will be ridden by Rasheed Hughes.

The five invaders meet four locals including the tough mare VIVIDLY (GB), bred by Juddmonte Farms and owned by Darwin Clarke, Beth Koch and Jalisa Callender. RENAISANCE FROLIC, a former American runner who was sixth in the 2020 Gold Cup but raced, and won, in the US in 2022, comes off a long layoff for trainer Andrew Nunes. Renaisance Frolic is owned by Sir David Seale, who has won a record eight Gold Cups. BODIE TAP and BRILLIANT NEWS round out the field.

For more interviews and news on the Gold Cup, check out Journeys, the Talk Show on Youtube and Facebook.

Official program (80 pages) HERE.

40th SANDY LANE GOLD CUP (Bar-1), Garrison Savannah, Barbados

March 4, Purse $200,000 (Bar), Post time 5:10 Eastern

(live stream at www.barbadosturfclub.org)

Post Horse Jockey

1. VIVIDLY (GB) Rocco Bowen
2. AMERICAN DIAMOND Rico Walcott
3. SO SUAVE (Ire) Antonio Bishop
4. IT’S A GAMBLE Jalon Samuel
5. TALLAHATCHIEBRIDGE Patrick Husbands
6. BRILLIANT NEWS Rey Williams
7. BODIE TAP Sean Leavy
8. RENAISANCE FROLIC Kyle Carter
9. MO HAWK Rasheed Hughes