Faugheen was no stranger to dazzling on the big occasion, but as the curtains began to close on his decorated career, he saved one more moment of magic for his adoring home supporters, lighting up the Dublin Racing Festival with a heroic display that sent Leopardstown into a frenzy.
One of the best Champion Hurdle winners of modern times, injury setbacks saw him reinvented first as a staying hurdler and then a novice chaser, as his trainer Willie Mullins eked out Grade One-winning performances with the twilight of his career approaching.
Although a dual Cheltenham Festival scorer, it was Leopardstown that played host to some of his finest displays and he arguably saved his best until last at the Dublin track when his final outing in the Irish capital saw him bring the house down with a brilliant swansong success.
Sent novice chasing at the ripe old age of 11, Faugheen had made the perfect start to fencing and arrived at Leopardstown having dispatched Samcro to taste Grade One glory at Limerick over Christmas.
Eyeing more success at the highest level, Faugheen was sent off the 13-8 joint-favourite for the Flogas Novice Chase and showed all of the qualities and class that had made him such a mainstay of the National Hunt racing scene as he held off stablemate Easy Game for a fairytale victory that would go down in Irish racing folklore.
“Going into Leopardstown, we knew he had been in good form, but for him it was a big day,” said Joe Chambers, racing manager for Faugheen’s owners Rich and Susannah Ricci.
“You were kind of harking back to the Danoli days and days of yesteryear where people were just leaping over tables trying to take advantage of every vantage point. There are a few wonderful pictures of the crowd and they were however many deep around the ring, and every balcony and vantage point was filled.
“Paul (Townend) nearly came off him at the back of the last and it wasn’t without drama, but it was a wonderful day and a pretty emotional day as well. It was a day where I saw Willie get emotional and you don’t often see that.”
It was also a huge occasion for Townend, who in the early stages of his tenure as Closutton number one, finally got his highlight-reel moment aboard Faugheen, having watched on as Ruby Walsh and many of his weighing room colleagues enjoyed great days alongside the popular gelding.
“It was great for Paul as well, because he hadn’t actually ridden Faugheen that many times,” continued Chambers.
“Faugheen was very much a part of Ruby’s career and David (Mullins) had won a Grade One on him and Emmet (Mullins) had won a Grade Three on him and Patrick had won a Grade One as well on him.
“Paul and Danny (Mullins) were somewhat the odd ones out and ultimately, when the music stopped, Danny was the only one left standing.”
The noise reverberating around Leopardstown as Faugheen made a triumphant return to the winner’s enclosure that day could be heard for miles around and although their great warrior will always be associated with the track, Chambers points out Faugheen often received a hero’s reception wherever he went.
He said: “I think you could be anywhere (in the world) with a crowd like that and a horse like that to celebrate and it was just one of those days where everything came together.
“He reincarnated himself as a novice chaser and he had two great days really – you can’t forget the Grade One he won under Patrick (Mullins) at Limerick when he beat Samcro.
“At some tracks in Ireland, the more rural you get, the greater the affinity can be with horses – especially ones who have been there, climbed to the mountain top, fallen back and then come back and managed to achieve again.”
So, having reached the summit of the sport once again at Leopardstown, there was one final peak left to conquer, with his Flogas triumph signalling one last return to the Cheltenham Festival in a quest to add a third Prestbury Park victory to his CV.
Sent off the 3-1 favourite for the March Novices’ Chase in what would be the final start of his career, Faugheen would go down on his shield to finish third, as Samcro gained Limerick revenge and conjured up his own resurgence story in a race where Closutton stalwart Melon also made the podium.
Chambers added: “I think at Cheltenham in the novice chase, but for a mistake at the second-last, where he just didn’t meet the fence quite right and Samcro winged it, he could have gone out in another blaze of glory as well.
“He got a wonderful reception that day. There might have been a few thoughts privately amongst people (about retiring after Leopardstown), but I don’t recall anything specific being discussed about it.
“Part of me thinks it would be the natural thing to do, but then again why would you do that having won a Grade One with Cheltenham round the corner.”
A winner of 17 of his 26 career starts, he was given the title ‘The Machine’ after mercilessly destroying the opposition as he racked up a 10-race unbeaten sequence at the beginning of his time under rules.
He won 12 of his first 13 outings before injury agonisingly kept him sidelined for almost two years when arguably at his pomp.
However, such was his resilience and brilliance, Faugheen was still able to win Grade Ones at two miles, three miles and over fences upon his return, thanks to the sublime handling by Mullins and those at Closutton.
Having captured the hearts of the racing public due to his on-track exploits, he now welcomes them into his own home, residing at the Irish National Stud in retirement alongside fellow Closutton icon Hurricane Fly and the likes of Beef Or Salmon and Hardy Eustace.
Chambers added: “The fact he had been so successful and had been unbeaten and had this ‘machine’ moniker and a fan base, combined with his trials and tribulations and still having the resolution to come back and do it, is a testament to the horse and also a testament to Willie’s training of him.
“He was a wonderful animal and he is enjoying a great retirement at the Irish National Stud.
“He’s there with Hurricane Fly and a couple of others and they take really good care of him – and the people who were associated with him, and also people who were fans of him, are able to go and see him as much as they see fit.
“He was absolutely brilliant on his day and the way he won the Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown beating Arctic Fire and Nichols Canyon – that was ultimately the day he hurt himself – but on the figures and ratings, it was a great performance.
“He gave us great days at Kempton when winning two Christmas Hurdles and also some wonderful days at Cheltenham – even the runs in defeat were great.”
SEC honours were awarded to a pair of Razorbacks this week with Romaine Beckford named Field Athlete of the Week while John Kendricks earned Freshman of the Week.
Beckford set an indoor best of 2.27m in winning the high jump at the Razorback Invitational prior to attempt the Olympic qualifying standard of 2.33m. Beckford is the current collegiate leader and his mark ranks equal sixth in the world for the 2024 season.
The performance by Beckford, the defending 2023 NCAA indoor & outdoor champion, moved him to No. 4 on the Arkansas all-time list and No. 3 on the Jamaican all-time indoor list with the equal No. 4 performance. Germaine Mason holds the Jamaican indoor record of 2.30m, which was set in 2003 and Christoff Bryan ranks second with a 2.28m from 2015.
Trinidad and Tobago's Football Association (TTFA) recently took a step closer to a return to self-governance when members voted unanimously in favour of revising statutes to its constitution, as stipulated by FIFA.
The revision took place during an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) hosted by TTFA at the Home of Football in Couva.
Revision of the existing constitution was mandated by FIFA in order to effectively dissolve the TTFA’s normalisation committee, which was installed in March 2020 to replace the elected executive, led by William Wallace.
With this latest development, the highly anticipated election to install a new TTFA executive will take place before March 31, when the normalisation committee’s tenure ends.
All 30 eligible members voted in favour of the changes at the meeting, where FIFA and Concacaf officials observed. The recent EGM was arranged after FIFA declared that the proposed TTFA statutes “(fully comply) with the requirements and standards of FIFA and Concacaf,” and are therefore endorsed by both.
The elected administration was controversially taken over by FIFA after the world governing body said it observed “grave violations of FIFA statutes,” and other problems within the TTFA, such as debts, which put it at risk of insolvency.
As such, the normalisation committee was installed by FIFA primarily to run day-to-day business; settle debts; make recommendations for constitutional amendments to align with FIFA statutes; and to call the TTFA elections, of which it would oversee.
TTFA general secretary Amiel Mohammed said a copy of the new statutes “will probably be published on (TTFA’s) website this week.”
“There are many provisions (to assist) in ensuring there is accountability and prudent financial governance as per policies, controls and signing authority,” Mohammed told T&T Newsday.
The voting structure has been amended and slate elections have been introduced. The executive committee will consist of nine members.
T&T Premier Football League Tier One clubs (maximum of 12) have a delegate and two votes each, along with the top six clubs from the second tier at the end of the most recent campaign.
Each of the regional associations and T&T Women’s League Football also have two votes and a delegate, while the remaining associations: beach soccer, futsal, referees, coaches, Secondary Schools Football League, Primary Schools Football League and the Veterans Football Foundation of T&T, all have one vote and delegate.
Leopardstown is “set fair” for its biggest National Hunt fixture of the year in the two-day Dublin Racing Festival.
The meeting takes place on Saturday and Sunday and features no less than eight Grade One contests.
The highlight of day one is the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup, where Galopin Des Champs will bid to retain his title against the horse that has beaten him twice since last year’s Anglo-Irish Gold Cup double, Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow.
The Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase is another eagerly-anticipated event on the opening day, as Barry Connell’s unbeaten Marine Nationale will look to maintain that record, possibly against Willie Mullins’ Gaelic Warrior.
On Sunday the headline race is the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle and although Constitution Hill is predictably absent, there is the next best around in State Man to lead the field.
The weather has been damp in Dublin, but bright and breezy days are expected to dry the turf out ahead of a mild weekend for racegoers to enjoy.
“We had a wet weekend, we’ve had 30 millimetres of rain altogether in the last week,” said Jane Hedley, racing operations manager at Leopardstown, on Wednesday.
“We started the week in the region of soft to heavy but we had a lovely dry, sunny day yesterday.
“This morning the going description was yielding to soft, soft in places on the chase track and soft, soft to heavy in places on the hurdle course.
“Today is a very windy day and we are expecting a few blustery showers this afternoon, maybe in the region of two to three millimetres, but beyond that we look set fair.
“It’s a bit breezy but with bright spells and quite mild (temperatures) at the weekend, so lovely weather for racing.”
The Dublin Racing Festival has been well attended since its inception in 2018 and this year is no exception as hospitality and premium level access tickets are sold out, although there are general admission tickets still available in advance and on the gate.
“We’re expecting a really good crowd, we’re completely sold out in hospitality and our Premier Level access is sold out and has been for some time,” said Hedley.
“General admission tickets are still available, we’re encouraging people to book online but there will be a few tickets that are still available on the gate.”
Of the calibre of racing expected over the weekend, Hedley added: “We’ve got the presence of Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup and State Man in the Champion Hurdle, we’ve always known those horses were going to run and they are incredibly strong.
“In the supporting races there is a lot of strength in depth, the novice races are going to be really exciting and informative and there are some very strong handicaps, too.
“It’s going to be a great weekend, we’re really looking forward to it.”
Saeed bin Suroor is considering a return to America with his top-class filly Mawj following her disappointing return to action at Meydan last week.
The Exceed And Excel filly provided her trainer with a first British Classic success in 14 years when edging out Tahiyra in last season’s 1000 Guineas at Newmarket – and while she missed the summer through injury, she made a triumphant comeback in a Grade One at Keeneland in October.
Mawj very nearly followed up in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, going down by just a nose to fellow Godolphin runner Master Of The Seas, but weakened quickly to trail home last of nine runners on her four-year-old debut in the Group One Jebel Hatta in Dubai.
Bin Suroor reports his stable star to be none the worse, but has now shelved plans to run her again in his homeland and is instead eyeing a trip to the United States before her eventual return to Britain.
“She has come back well after the race, she was a little bit quiet afterwards and we were disappointed with her,” the trainer admitted.
“There is nothing wrong with her at all, she has come back sound, but she was quiet after the race.
“Now we will look for a race for her, maybe in America in April time. There is a race over a mile at Keeneland and that could be one of the options, then she’ll be back in Europe to run in European races.
“Sometimes things happen in racing, but I spoke to Oisin (Murphy) after the race and there was nothing wrong with her, but it was not her day.
“There are no more races for her in the UAE, as we want to come back to the mile. I know she has won over nine furlongs in the past, but that was against fillies and I think she is better at a mile.”
Nicky Richards’ Famous Bridge will head next to the Virgin Bet Grand National Trial at Haydock after a luckless run in the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster.
The eight-year-old was well fancied for the Town Moor contest and sent off as the 13-2 joint-favourite under rider Sean Quinlan, with Paul Nicholls’ Kandoo Kid sharing the same starting price.
Famous Bridge’s popularity in the market can be attributed to his fine start to the season, with the gelding finishing a close fourth at Ayr and then winning two competitive Haydock chases, including the Tommy Whittle.
However, the field of 18 did not get away cleanly at Doncaster and there was a false start initially, meaning the horse lost his position and was left at the rear of the pack when they did begin to race.
He never really progressed from that spot and, as the race got away from him behind the successful front-running ride given to Annual Invictus, Quinlan made the call to pull up Famous Bridge and save him for another day.
Richards reports the horse to be none the worse for the run and hopes to have a little more luck in the Grand National Trial at Haydock in just over two weeks’ time.
“He’s fine, he’s had a little steady canter this morning and he seems well,” said Richards.
“The race was won and lost at the start, they were all coming in grand and if he’d been able to get away first time, he’d have been in the perfect position.
“It ruined it for him, the winner bobbed out and made every yard but as soon as you’re out of it in a race like that, it’s over.
“Sean made a very sensible decision, he felt there was no point going on with him. If he’d have gone the whole trip, he probably would have finished in the same place.
“Hopefully, we’ll get him freshened up and we’ll go for the Grand National Trial at Haydock.
“He seems fine, he only went a mile and a half and Sean did the sensible thing.
“Hopefully, we’ll get him nice and fresh and well and he’ll be grand.”
The Blue Blood Racing Club are relishing the prospect of Ashroe Diamond taking on some of the best mares around at the Cheltenham Festival, following her decisive Grade Two triumph at Doncaster last weekend.
Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by the handler’s son Patrick, last season’s Grade One scorer took a huge step forward from a third-placed return in the Hatton’s Grace to book her ticket to the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle in good style in the Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle.
The seven-year-old easily got the better of Nicky Henderson’s well-regarded Under Control, with high-class stablemate Gala Marceau a place further back in third in South Yorkshire.
Having been cruelly denied a run at the Festival at the 11th hour 12 months ago, connections are now hoping for a smooth run-up to Prestbury Park’s showcase meeting to enable a shot at a race that has always been high on the list of assignments for this term.
“It was a brilliant day and I suppose coming back in trip for her after the Hatton’s Grace was the key to her jumping well and Patrick was able to go forward a lot more,” said James Fenton who manages the Blue Blood Racing Club.
“Myself and Patrick discussed it about an hour before the race and he rode her textbook to the way we decided on – not a thing went wrong, which is great. You would have to be impressed with her and the way she did it so professionally.
“We have to go to the Mares’ now. She was unlucky not to get to Cheltenham last year and hopefully now, with the travelling over to Doncaster and back and stuff, she is a more settled mare in that regard and all roads now lead to Cheltenham.
“We said at the start of the season, when we decided not to go chasing with her, that she deserved another crack over hurdles and we would aim for the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and work our way back.
“The run in the Hatton’s Grace brought her on to Doncaster and now we go on to Cheltenham and hopefully the plan is working – and that is all down to the great team at Closutton.”
While Ashroe Diamond was enhancing her reputation on Town Moor, Lossiemouth was laying down her own Mares’ Hurdle marker at Cheltenham with a blistering display in the Unibet hurdle.
The two Closutton inmates dominate the top of the Mares’ Hurdle market and, although highly respectful of Rich and Susannah Ricci’s Triumph Hurdle-winning starlet, Fenton is embracing the challenge competing in a Grade One event at the Festival will bring.
He added: “Lossiemouth is a great mare who we are willing to take on and we will enjoy our day out.
“To have a mare good enough to take on the likes of Lossiemouth is brilliant and may the best mare win, that’s what the game is about.
“There is no point going over and just expecting to win everything at this level; you are going to have to take on the best and Lossiemouth is one of the best mares in training at the moment, so we will look forward to taking a cut at her, we won’t be running for cover.
“The build-up to it will be exciting now and all the members of the racing club are chuffed to bits to have a mare of that quality to go to a big race like that.
“To go to Cheltenham with a mare with a bit of a squeak and to get her into the first three would be amazing.”
Having spent most of her freshman season at Louisiana State University (LSU) adapting to a new program and overcoming physical challenges, Jamaica’s Brianna Lyston is ready to showcase her immense talents while eyeing the challenge of a sprint-double campaign at her country’s national championships in June.
According to LSU Head Track and Field Coach Dennis Shaver, the plan for the 19-year-old former Hydel High School star is to attempt making Jamaica’s team for the Olympic Games in Paris in both the 100m and 200m races.
Lyston gave an indication of her early readiness to be competitive this season when she ran a fast 7.07 to win the 60m dash at the Razorback Invitational last weekend. The time tied Aleia Hobbs’ school record and is the fifth-fastest time in the world this year.
Intriguingly, Coach Shaver revealed that the fast time was not really a surprise given how well Lyston had been training leading up to the meet but hinted that she could have gone even faster.
“Well, it's hard to predict what she would run. But I did know that when we're doing starts in training and so forth for 30, 40 or 50 meters, she was executing quite well in training, but it's always hard in the 60 to predict what their actual finish time is going to be. But I knew that, just based on what some of our other athletes that she trains with, what they were running, I had a pretty good idea that she was going to run in the 60 m this last week.
“And that's why we entered her always because we felt like, in communicating with her, we both felt that she was ready to execute the race well. And so I was proud of her. She just ran, I think, 14 (7.14) in the prelims and felt really easy. And I said, well, when you get in the final now, don't try to run real fast, just try to execute, and I think that's what she did.”
This early indicator, Coach Shaver believes, is why Lyston – all things being equal - will be in the mix when she goes up against her more experienced compatriots at the Jamaica national championships come June.
“She's going to be ready, and she's going to be able to run at the Jamaican trials and try to make the Olympic team. That's just one of the goals now. If we don't make it, it's not the end of the world. She's so young, but the reality of it is that I think the experience of her running in under 20s was a real positive thing,” Coach Shaver said of the 2022 World U20 200m champion.
“And so I think, the younger you are to make an Olympic team and be able to perform at Olympic level, it is one more year of experience you have for the next time that rolls around.”
Coach Shaver explained that even though Lyston is known more for her prowess over 200m, he is not ruling out her aiming for a spot on Jamaica’s 100m team to Paris as well.
“I wouldn't eliminate the 100 meters from the possibility either. And I know there are some great Jamaican 100m people, but I think she can be in that mix too, just based on that 7.07.”
The journey to this point has not been easy for Lyston, who has had a history of physical challenges during her high school career. That was pretty much the case when she arrived at LSU for her freshman year, Coach Shaver revealed.
During her freshman year indoors, Lyston ran two 60m dashes peaking at 7.29 as well as a single 200m in which she ran 23.54 in New Mexico. Outdoors, she raced over 200m four times. She also ran in seven 4x100m relays and a single 4x400m relay.
Coach Shaver explained the reason behind why she ran such a limited number of races.
“Most people that know me know that I'm pretty patient. When I don't feel like somebody's really prepared to perform at an adequate level just based on training, I just don't race them. So last year I just felt like it was a big transition for Brianna. But I think that as we went through the year with her, she adapted more and more to what we were asking her to do. And I think she's just grown from there,” he said.
“She had a really good fall, this fall of training, and I think that led to what happened this (past) weekend. I just didn't feel like until now I really had her prepared to perform well and be able to do it safely and not injure herself.”
Injuries were something that the LSU coaching staff had to help the now bigger and stronger Lyston overcome during that difficult freshman year.
“There were things that we do in training that she did some things really good, but she didn't do everything really good. So until she got and adapted and started adapting to the training and then, of course, I just think this year there's a lot more focus more confidence, which is obviously very important and it's a tribute to her and believing in what we do and working within those parameters that we're asking her to do,” Coach Shaver said.
“I think also we've got an excellent medical staff that diagnosed things that needed to be worked on. It's just taking this long before I really feel like collectively we had her prepared to run fast and stay healthy.”
For her standout performance on the weekend, Lyston was named USTFCCCA Female Athlete of the Week.
Milton Harris has been found not to be a “fit and proper person” to hold a trainer’s licence, in written reasons issued by the British Horseracing Authority’s Licensing Committee.
The Warminster handler had his licence suspended by the BHA in November pending a hearing in January, with the BHA saying it was “a result of a breach of the conditions on his licence and related matters”.
The Licensing Committee said the concerns of the BHA surrounded “the nature and extent of MH’s admitted breaches of the conditions which already exist on his licence, which were imposed in 2018 and MH’s failure to be candid in his dealings with the BHA in respect of those breaches, particularly when the BHA was seeking to provide opportunities for MH to remedy those breaches”, “misconduct in his dealings with others, including fellow licence holder Mr Simon Earle” and “in respect of safeguarding arising out of MH’s conduct with young persons employed at his racing yard”.
In the wake of the ruling, BHA director of integrity and regulatory operations, Tim Naylor, said: “Racing is a sport that works hard to provide a safe and welcoming space for all and the ruling of the Licensing Committee in this case sends a clear message that those in positions of authority in our industry must act in a way that upholds these values.
“We are grateful to the committee for their time in considering this matter and also to those who came forward to share their experiences of Mr Harris and gave evidence at the hearing.
“Some of the details in the Licensing Committee’s decision make for extremely uncomfortable reading. Mr Harris’s behaviour over a prolonged period of time fell a long way short of what we expect of a licensed person and, as the committee found, would cause damage to racing’s reputation if allowed to continue without repercussion.
“We are, therefore, pleased with the panel’s finding that Mr Harris is not a fit and proper person to hold a licence.
“As is clear from the decision, the BHA’s concerns ranged across a number of very serious issues. One of these concerns related to safeguarding. The BHA takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously and, as demonstrated by its bringing this case before the Licensing Committee, will do everything within its powers to ensure that those working in our sport do so in an environment befitting what should rightly be expected by them and, in the case of young people, their parents or guardians upon taking a job in the sport.
“The BHA recently published an updated Safeguarding and Human Welfare Strategy, which built on our existing policies and seeks to protect and promote the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in the sport.
“As always, we would encourage anybody who feels they have been subjected to or witnessed inappropriate behaviour in our sport to contact us. The BHA’s Code of Conduct clearly establishes the standards that everyone involved in racing is expected to uphold and we will never turn a blind eye to concerns raised about conduct which may fall below these standards.”
At the beginning of December, Harris’ assistant Tony Charlton was granted a temporary training licence by the BHA, “with agreed conditions attached”.
Contacted by the PA news agency, Harris described himself as “disappointed” by the verdict, with a further response planned in the coming days.
He said: “I’ve just seen the decision of the committee and I’m obviously disappointed.
“My immediate priority is to look after the horses, owners and long-serving staff here and in the immediate that will be my sole focus. I will make a statement (on the decision) in a few days’ time.”
Harris, who started his training career in 2001, had a seven-year enforced absence from 2011 to 2018 due to financial issues.
Since returning to the sport he has saddled some notable winners, highlighted by Knight Salute, who claimed the 2022 Grade One Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree along with three Grade Two victories that season.
Paul Townend is looking forward to being reunited with the “exceptional” State Man in the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Since falling on his Irish debut over two years ago, the Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old has won nine of his 10 starts, his only defeat coming at the hands of Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle at last season’s Cheltenham Festival.
On his most recent outing, he readily accounted for a high-class stablemate in Impaire Et Passe when winning his second successive Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.
Townend guided the latter, who is set to be in opposition again this weekend, to four successive victories last season, but he insists the decision to side with State Man was straightforward.
“I love him, he’s been very, very good to me. Bar the one day we fell in a maiden hurdle in Leopardstown, he’s been exceptional,” said the Irish champion jockey.
“I just found it very hard to desert State Man (at Christmas) – I thought it would be a lot worse standing in the number two spot looking at State Man winning than standing in the number two spot looking at Impaire Et Passe.
“He duly obliged and he’s just such a straightforward horse and a class horse to be involved with.
“Bar Constitution Hill, he’s the best around, I think.”
State Man will be long odds-on to bag his second Irish Champion Hurdle on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival, having dethroned Honeysuckle with an all-the-way victory 12 months ago.
As well as Impaire Et Passe, Mullins could saddle Matheson Hurdle third Echoes In Rain, while Henry de Bromhead will be hoping Bob Olinger can continue his resurgence following an impressive display in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
Gordon Elliott’s Fils D’oudairies, last of four in the Matheson Hurdle, completes the potential field.
Javane Bryan is in the middle of his debut season in the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League at 27 years old.
Admittedly, he has joined the party late, compared to the many others who are now plying their trade in the top league of Jamaican football and that is exactly why the Waterhouse FC striker believes that he has something to prove.
“It took me so long to get here, now I’m here and making a statement and showing the reason I belong here,” said the striker who is now the leading scorer in the league at the end of match week 15.
Bryan does not lack in confidence and credits his journey to the Wray & Nephew Premier League with the instant success he has been enjoying in front of goal.
“Even though it’s my first time playing in the Premier League, other leagues that I played in I used to execute in them just as well, so I bring it forth into the Premier League. I have taken my chances when I have gotten them and made use of them,” he insisted.
The former Tivoli Gardens High School player who had his final season in schoolboy football, was stymied by a position change just when he was hoping for his breakthrough.
“I went to Tivoli Gardens High school and played Pepsi (U-14) and Colts (U-16). I didn’t get to play outfield in Manning Cup because I had to take the responsibility in goal when the goalkeeper got a red card in the first game.
“So from there on, I was in the goal until he got back into the squad and then I was on the bench. After that I stopped keeping and went back outfield,” he explained.
After leaving high school Bryan returned to his preferred position where he again started to thrive.
“My first senior season was with Rae Town playing in the Super League where I started playing centre forward and then I moved on to Vere United and won the Super League with them. From Vere I went to Falmouth FC and then to Meadforest, before moving to Waterhouse in the premier league this season.”
Bryan is currently half-way towards his season’s target with just over half of the season played.
“I am looking forward to about 20 goals. I just have to work hard. Every chance I get, I just have to make use of it,” he reasoned.
He opened his goal-scoring account in the premier league with a brace against Montego Bay United in the second match of the season and hit double figures when the teams played out a 2-2 draw in the return leg on Monday night when he scored the opening goal of the contest.
Waterhouse sits just outside the playoff positions in seventh place on 20 points, but Bryan has total confidence is his team going all the way this season.
“With the group of players I am playing with, I think we have the squad that can do it. I believe in my team, and I believe in myself and the coaching staff and the management staff that this Waterhouse team can win this title,” he proclaimed.
After separating himself from Tivoli Gardens striker Justin Dunn who has nine goals, Bryan will be hoping to push on in the race for the Golden Boot which would certainly be a highlight in his premier league debut season.
Javane Bryan celebrates one of his goals against Montego Bay United at the Stadium East Field in mid-October.
Bucanero Fuerte is likely to begin his three-year-old campaign in the 2000 Guineas after a juvenile season that saw only City Of Troy top him on ratings.
The colt is by Wootton Bassett and out of a mare called Frida La Blonde, making him a full-brother to 2020 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Wooded.
Trained in Westmeath by Adrian Murray and owned by Amo Racing, the bay made a winning debut at the Curragh last March and then took aim at Royal Ascot.
In the Coventry Stakes, a six-furlong Group Two, he was third at 16-1 when beaten only a length with River Tiber and Army Ethos.
That run led him to the Railway Stakes at the Curragh, where he prevailed ahead of Aidan O’Brien’s Unquestionable before returning to the same track to land the Group One Phoenix Stakes by four lengths.
His final run as a juvenile was again at the Curragh, where he contested the National Stakes and was third behind Henry Longfellow in a run Murray considers to have been one too many.
Bucanero Fuerte has since been listed as the second-highest rated two-year-old of 2023, gaining a mark of 120 as City Of Troy topped the list on 125 and Henry Longfellow and Vandeek shared third place on 119.
Naturally there will be high hopes for them all and the Amo runner will look to live up to the expectations that come with his reputation in his three-year-old season.
The Guineas is the likely starting point for the horse, who will be entered in both the English and Irish renewals of the race, though the former is favoured by his trainer.
“He’s great, he’s been back cantering for two months now and I’m very happy with him,” said Murray.
“He’s got big and strong over the winter, I couldn’t be happier with him – he’s turned into a fine horse.”
Of Bucanero Fuerte’s place in the two-year-old rankings and his next steps, Murray added: “It’s hard to believe it but it’s brilliant really, we’re aiming to go to the Guineas with him.
“We probably wouldn’t go for a prep run and he’ll be entered in both, my preference would be the English I think.”
Murray and Amo Racing have another nice prospect in Elegant Man, an American-bred colt by Arrogate who won his debut at Dundalk in October.
He then stepped up to Listed level in the Wild Flower Stakes at Kempton in December, where he was second to a good yardstick in the Group One-winning Rebel’s Romance.
He began his four-year-old campaign at Dundalk last week, prevailing by three and a half lengths from Tyson Fury in an encouraging performance.
The colt has been put forward for the Dubai World Cup at Meydan in March and that race is the immediate target ahead of the start of the domestic season.
“It was a lovely run, he’s come out of the race well,” Murray said of the Dundalk performance.
“There’s a lot more improvement in him too, we’re very happy with him.
“He’s nominated now to go to Dubai for the Dubai World Cup, he might not get in but that’s the plan at the minute.
“He’s still quite green, he’s learning, there’s more to come from him once he gets a little bit more experience.
“We’ll target the turf over the summer but we haven’t any plans after Dubai, so we’ll go there if we get in.”
While pleased with aspects of their team’s display in the first warm-up contest, Trinidad and Tobago’s Under-20 Men’s Head coach Brian Haynes and his Jamaican counterpart John Wall are optimistic of a more efficient display from their respective units when the two teams meet again on Thursday.
The young Soca Warriors edged the young Reggae Boyz 3-2 in the first contest at the University of TT, O'Meara Campus recently, with Lindell Sween, Levi Jones and Michael Chaves on target for the hosts, while Jahmani Bell and Demarion Harris, pulled things back for Jamaica.
That contest, both coaches believe, not only provided the impetus needed to finalize selection of their respective squads for next month’s Caribbean phase of the Concacaf Under-20 Men’s Championships, as they only had a few training sessions prior, which doesn’t necessarily assist in highlighting the true competitive nature and, by extension, cohesiveness of the teams.
Haynes expressed satisfaction with the progress of his players, especially as he explored different combinations.
"As far as I am concerned the exercise was good. Nobody's hurt, thank God. The guys worked hard and the main group, the group that started, they did what we wanted them to do, and I thought the guys that came in did a good job as well,” Haynes said.
"I commend the Jamaica team for coming down and giving us a good game, because this is what we need and this is what they need and hopefully this propels us to keep playing at the level I know we can,” he added.
Still, no performance is ever perfect, and as such, Haynes said the objective remains to strengthen their flaws in all areas to ensure that the young Soca Warriors not only prove more formidable in the next game, but also against their more illustrious opponents in future fixtures.
Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica will lock horns in the second warm-up encounter on Thursday at Larry Gomes Stadium at 4:00 pm.
For the upcoming tournament, Haynes’s side will host Group D which includes Canada, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines with only the group winner set to progress.
"There are things we have to work on, but right now I am really happy with the result for the boys,” Haynes noted.
Wall echoed similar sentiments, even as the young Reggae Boyz held Police FC’s youth team to a goalless stalemate in another encounter.
"The whole idea of these games is to create relationships and a common understanding on our game model. So, there are instances where we are kind of pleased with what we saw and for me it’s the bigger picture of getting ourselves ready and competitive for the tournament,” Wall shared.
"One of the core non-negotiables that we have is that no matter what, we don’t give up because we are playing for our nation which is a big responsibility. So, there are areas we need to improve on with regards to our pressing, counter-pressing and some other technical things in that region,” he reasoned.
Wall’s side will contest Group F with Bermuda, Grenada and Martinique in St Kitts and Nevis in the upcoming tournament.
After round-robin play in the Concacaf qualifying opening round between February 23 and March 2, the group winners will progress to the Championship round to join the six pre-seeded nations – United States, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic –ranked in that order.
Mistergif continued Willie Mullins’ successful January as well as the hot run of owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede with an impressive success on his Irish debut at Limerick.
Although banking plenty of experience in France, he arrived at Closutton a maiden, but nevertheless was sent off the 8-13 favourite for the Follow Limerick Racecourse On Twitter (C & G) Maiden Hurdle over two miles on testing ground.
The result was a formality as the five-year-old made all and cruised to an impressive 18-length success in the hands of Kieran Callaghan to give Mullins his fourth straight success in the race and also follow in the footsteps of State Man who was victorious in the 2022 renewal before marching to County Hurdle glory at the Cheltenham Festival.
Mistergif holds entries for both the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park and although connections may want to see more before he gets his ticket stamped for March, he brought up Mullins’ 40th winner for the month while adding to the recent victories of Zarak The Brave, Jasmin De Vaux and Anotherway in the ‘double green’ colours.
“He’s a horse by a stallion we like in Zarak,” said Anthony Bromley, racing manager to the owners, who will have the likes of El Fabiolo in action at the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend.
“He jumped very smoothly today, that was impressive the way he jumped. The horse in second was only rated 106, so we must not get too carried away.
“I think he will have to have another run to see where we are and in terms of if he’s a Festival horse or not. But he’s a really exciting prospect and it comes hot on the heels of Anotherway yesterday and the bumper horse on Sunday, so they are just hitting their stride at the right time.
“I don’t think there is any necessarily big targets for him, but we will have to run again and see where we are.”
Winning rider Callaghan added: “It was very straightforward. He had experience around Auteuil and loads of runs on the Flat as well as a younger horse.
“I was just worried that he was doing a bit too much early, but he was very good the way he picked up from the back of the second-last.
“He hit the line hard and I was at the first hurdle down the back pulling him up so it’s definitely a good sign on that ground.
“He couldn’t have done it much easier, and he has a chance of being a nice horse.”
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