Trinidad Derby 2024 Preview

  • Sep, Wed, 2024

The most coveted prize on any racing calendar, the Derby will be run off on Republic Day (September 24) at the Arima Race Club.

Unlike 2023, there is no possibility of a Triple Crown winner in 2024 with two different horses having won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. In the opening leg, the Guineas, Uncle Rog, was the winner with Red Alert and Secret Pages filling the runner up positions (second and third respectively). In the second leg, the Midsummer Classic, run off on turf, the winner was Forever Grand with Unbelievable and Secret Pages filling the runner-up positions.

Uncle Rog was extremely disappointing finishing tailed off in the event. It may be that the did not appreciate the turf surface though he had been successful on that surface previously. It seemed more likely that the rumours of his non well-being were well founded. Both Uncle Rog and Forever Grand are trained by John O’Brien.

The Trinidad Derby will be deciding event for the year with both winners featuring among the seven horses for whom final subscriptions have been paid. They are joined by their stable companion, Headlines Again who was the unbeaten champion juvenile of 2023 and returned to the races with a good second to an imported horse after missing the first two legs of the Guineas while recovering from an injury.

The O’Brien trio are joined by the Midsummer Classic second, Unbelievable; the third place finisher in the first two classics, Secret Pages; and two horses who have failed to trouble the judges in any of their races, Capital Tee and Hot Rod Kashton. In fact, the last three horses are still maidens.

Uncle Rog has been something of an enigma in 2024. After a maiden two-year-old season although showing steady improvement, he continued his upgrade run from his three-year-old debut culminating in his Guineas win. He has been somewhat disappointing since but his Midsummer Classic run was his worst performance since his debut. He has not been seen on the course since that run, albeit there was only one raceday so punters will have to judge from his reported gallops with respect to his well being. The selection of the stable’s principal rider, Dillon Khelawan, should be illustrative in that respect also.

Forever Grand was unraced as a two-year-old and was also well beaten on his three-year-old debut. He improved to win his next start but his Midsummer Classic win was still a shock result. Whether he can translate that turf form to the dirt will be the main unknown with this colt though his maiden win was on the main track. He is a half brother to the best horse in the country, Hello World, but having been already gelded, may not have the same scope as his brother.

The third of the O’Brien trio is Headlines Again. This filly is sired by the best sire in the country, Headlines News, who unfortunately does not get the same opportunities as many lesser sires. The filly is also a sibling to many top class horses, most notably, Making Headlines. After missing most of the season, she returned to run a fine second to The Goddess Nike over 1,350 metres and that form is probably better than the classic form of her rivals in this race. She will need to prove her fitness over this longer distance but that is the only question mark against her name. Her class may still be enough to get her home.

The opposition to the O’brien trio is led by two classic placed horses, Unbelievable and Secret Pages. The former was runner-up in the Midsummer Classic on the turf and has shown his best form on that surface scoring his maiden win on that surface also. He has been less successful on the main track with just one third in five starts and finishing unplaced in his Derby prep on August 31. He showed no signs of stopping in Midsummer so stamina may not be an issue but being bred for the turf, he may find it difficult to show the same level of form on the main track.

Secret Pages who was third in the first two Classics remains a maiden after eight starts. Interestingly, only two of those starts have been over distances beyond one mile (the two Classics) and in both races, she was a one paced but staying on third. Her maiden races have been over shorter distances and she was again third over 1,100m in her Derby prep on August 31. That distance would have been woefully short for her. This filly is probably one of the few that is likely to still being moving forward at the end of this race and could run into one of the minor places. The other two contenders, Hot Rod Kashton and Capital Tee are unlikely to figure at the finish.

There remains one Derby, however, and someone must win. In another low quality edition, the class of Headlines Again should enable this filly to top this opposition while Secret Pages could run into the places given her preference for longer distances.

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