A day after Kentucky’s WinStar Farm, LLC of Kenny Troutt celebrated a big win by Timberlake, February 24, in the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park, a horse it bred in Ontario six years ago was winning a featured handicap in Guyana, South America.
SPANKHURST, by Speightster – Pankhurst by Artie Schiller, was sent on a speed mission by jockey Kiran Razack and had enough to hold on to win the $3.75 million (GUY) Jumbo Jet Open at 1600 metres (not quite one mile) at the Rising Sun Turf Club. The speedy six-year-old gelding was voted the 2023 Guyana Horse of the Year based on his two-for-two record but he was coming off his first loss in that country on New Year’s Day to Woodbine import Bossalina.
Trained by Damian Dharamjit for Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Committee of Nasrudeen Mohamed, Spankhurst opened up a long lead out of the gate and had enough left to hold off 126-pound highweight EASY TIME (Not This Time), who won the Grade 3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine in 2021 and is a stakes winner in Guyana. Other Woodbine imports BOSSALINA, a stakes winner in Guyana, and newcomer STOLEN MONEY, were third and fourth, respectively.
A $5,500 Fasig Tipton October yearling purchase in 2019 by Adam Rice, Spankhurst won a maiden special weight at Presque Isle in his third race for Rice as a three-year-old in 2021. The bay then raced for owner Gerald Bruno Jr. at Churchill Downs, Delta Downs, Fair Grounds, Evangeline and Colonial Downs, winning five times before he was claimed several times. The Canadian-bred won for trainer Norm Casse at Saratoga in July 2023 for $12,500 claiming and was claimed by Randi Persaud for the Reyana and Reya Racing Stable.
Spankhurst is by the late Speightster, by Speightstown, and from Woodbine winner Pankhurst, a half-sister to stakes winner Pro Prado. Pankhurst has produced two other winners including 2023 juvenile winner Guess Again.
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