Nalicia Cozier’s SO SUAVE (Ire), a 6-year-old bay horse claimed from his most recent race at Woodbine in November, galloped to a handy 2 1/2 length win in the Group 1 Coolmore “Home of Champions” Stakes at the Garrsion Savannah racecourse in Bridgetown, Barbados on Jan. 28. The Coolmore is the local prep race for the March 4 Sandy Lane Gold Cup, which is expected to attract several more North American invaders.
So Suave was ridden by champion Canadian jockey Patrick Husbands, who hails from Barbados. It was Husbands’ first ride at the Garrison since 2018.
Installed as the heavy 6-to-5 favourite by a big crowd at the Garrison, So Suave, trained by Jean-Marc Cozier, stayed a couple of lengths behind early leader Joqular, the top-rated horse in Barbados, through a reserved early pace.
Heading the second time into the stretch and the run to the finish, Bodie Tap joined the mare Joqular while Husbands angled out So Suave from behind that pair. So Suave glided by Joqular, a daughter of Hard Spun, and won handily while the mare Vividly closed well to be second.
The time listed for the 1800-metre race (just over 1 1/16 miles on turf) was 1:51.
So Suave (Make Believe (GB) – Stylish One (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire)) becomes one of the favourites for the 1 1/8 mile Gold Cup.
Bred in Ireland by a partnership including the Make Believe Syndicate, So Suave was bought back from three sales – as a foal, yearling and 2-year-old in training. He made his career debut in October 2019 at Navan in Ireland for trainer Johnny Murtagh and Ballylinch Stud. He missed by a neck but then won his next 2 races at Dundalk and Gowran Park. Following his seventh career start in August 2020, So Suave was sent to the US and he raced for Bridlewood Farm and trainer Christophe Clement.
He was fifth in a pair of turf races at Saratoga and Belmont and then was claimed for $25,000 by Ontario owner Bruno Schickedanz and trainer Martin Drexler from a win on Feb. 13, 2022. At Woodbine, So Suave was unplaced in two Tapeta surface sprints but then won three of his next four races, including a race on turf. He was claimed from his 2022 finale by Louis Cavalaris and trainer Ted Holder and transferred to the Coziers.
Cozier won the 2004 Coolmore with Lion Country, ridden by Juan Crawford. The second subscription payment of $1,500 for the Gold Cup is due Feb. 10. Others expected for the $100,000 Gold Cup include MO HAWK (Uncle Mo), IT’S A GAMBLE (English Channel) and perhaps two from Ken Ramsey including RAMSEY SOLUTION, who was scratched from his prep race at Gulfstream on Jan. 28.
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