Confidently ridden by leading jockey Dane Nelson, Above and Beyond slammed the 14-horse field by 6-1/2 lengths for Nunes’s 22nd Classic triumph in a fast one minute 38.80 seconds in the JA$2.8 Million (US$19.600) one-mile run for owners Rawdon Persad, Vickram Oditt & Rajendra Poonai.
Trainer Gary Subratie’s 5-2 second favourite ‘Another Affair’ was second and denied Nunes the top-three sweep as his long shots Sencity (26-1) and Glock (41-1) snatched third and fourth positions respectively.
It was Nunes’s fourth Fillies Guineas victory after ‘Latonia’ in 2004, ‘Selectabook’ (2013) and ‘I Am Di One’ last year. Nunes has now won five of the last six Classics at Caymanas Park, including his 2019 Triple Crown run with the colt ‘Supreme Soul’.
Breaking smartly from the 14-box, Above and Beyond raced very relaxed with the pacesetters down the backstretch and looked the winner from mid-race.
The chestnut filly, by ‘Blue Pepsi Lodge’ out of ‘Rumble’, cruised to the lead and when she quickened away from the busy Robert Halledeen aboard the chasing Another Affair leaving the half-mile, the picture of her motionless jockey told the story of race control.
Above and Beyond entered the homestretch with a two-length lead and steadily increased her advantage en route to her third win in seven career starts for groom Steven Smith.
The result also closed an afternoon triple for three-time champion jockey Nelson, who had piloted third race winner Generational and KJ Express to victory in the seventh.
Nelson had two previous Fillies Guineas wins with ‘Al Fouzia’ in 2000 and ‘Nuclear Affair’ in 2016 and engaged Above and Beyond in speedy split-times of 23.3, 45.3 and 1:10.2. The big filly still looked strong at the end under Nelson, who had been aboard for her two previous wins.
“Dane Nelson knows her inside out,” Nunes said about the race strategy.
Coming off her fourth place finish behind 2000 Guineas contender Nipster in her July 5 “prep” event, Nunes revealed he stepped up her training programme for the Classic season opener.
“We made sure to bring her over as fit as we could make her and as happy and as healthy as she could be and she did the rest,” said Nunes, who scored four wins on Saturday’s 11-race card. His other winners were ‘Generational’ in the third race, ‘Supreme Soul’ in the fifth and ‘KJ Express’ in the seventh.
Jamaica’s impressive second-place finish at the 2025 CARIFTA Swimming Championships was no accident, says Lance Rochester, President of the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ). Instead, it was the result of strategic planning, expanded event participation, and a renewed technical approach to the sport.
Above and Beyond, the 1-2 favourite, only surged to the front in the final strides of the JA$2.5 Million (US$16,800) Classic and won by a half-length over the 6-1 bet Another Affair while becoming the first horse in 11 years to complete the Fillies Guineas and Oaks double.
The chestnut filly, by Blue Pepsi Lodge out of Rumble, also logged the fastest Oaks winning time for the 10-furlong trip in almost 30 years, stopping the clock at two minutes 06.80 seconds for champion trainer Anthony Nunes. “What a horse race,” Nunes said moments after securing his fourth Oaks triumph.
“Another Affair ran brilliantly. She bounced out of that gate from early and Dane (Nelson) had no choice but to turn into a 10-furlong sprint. Dane did a fantastic job as he always does,” added Nunes, celebrating his 23rd Classic success.
Beaten 6-1/4 lengths into second spot by Above and Beyond in the Guineas a month ago, Another Affair was sent to lead by jockey Robert Halledeen from post-position one, while Above and Beyond from the nine-box approached the first turn in close touch with the trio of Shepanza (3-1) and the outsiders Adore Brilliance (34-1) and Basilicus (60-1) in a cluster two lengths behind.
Another Affair still led mid-race with Above and Beyond at her girth, with Shepanza 2-1/2 lengths further back struggling to keep pace as Nunes’s 16-1 bet Glock quickened in fourth to chase the leaders.
Another Affair accelerated approaching the three-furlong marker and in a flash threateningly kicked two lengths clear of Above and Beyond as Nelson urged the big filly to close the gap.
Posting solid splits of 24.2, 49.1 and 1:12.3 for six furlongs before breezing the mile split in 1:38.4, Another Affair was still running stoutly into the homestretch and appeared very unwilling to relinquish her lead to the Guineas champion.
Nelson, who won four races on Saturday’s card, had already gone for the whip right-handed coming off the final bend but was only closing mildly and didn’t appear to be closing fast enough either when he changed his hold and switched to left-hand whipping heading into the last furlong.
Another Affair began her surrender deep inside the last furlong as the classy Above and Beyond – under Nelson’s vigorous handling -- incrementally wore her down and became the first filly since Saint Cecelia in 2009 to land both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks.
The win was Above and Beyond’s fourth in eight career starts for owners Rawdon Persad, Vickram Oditt & Rajendra Poonai and gave the 36-year-old Nelson his second Oaks triumph. Her win was the fastest in the Oaks since Godwin Bucknor’s Poorlittlerichgirl won the 1991 edition in the same time.
Nunes, who landed a triple on the 10-race card, also won the co-feature JA$1.5 Million (US$10,000) Bonnie Blue Flag Trophy race with his four-year-old gelding Toona Ciliata snapping the outstanding three-year-old colt Wow Wow’s 11-race winning streak.
The 2-1 bet Toona Ciliata, ridden by Omar Walker, sped to a dominant five-length victory to be undefeated in three starts this year, posting a smart 1:53.60 for nine furlongs and 25 yards. Wow Wow, the 1-2 favourite, finished second.
The 4-5 favourite Miniature Man was a disappointing sixth as Calculus rebounded from a seventh-place finish in the early June 2000 Guineas to land the Betmakers JA$4.5 Million (US$30,126) St Leger by 6-3/4 lengths. He scored at 7-1 odds and handed Trinidadian owner Chevan Maharaj his second St Leger win at Caymanas Park in three years.
As Ellis surged to his fifth St Leger success and trainer Subratie his second in a row, the 3-2 second favourite Further and Beyond was second and the Fillies Guineas winner She’s a Wonder (9-2) third a further length and a quarter behind.
“Number five is very very sweet,” said Ellis after triumphantly reuniting with Maharaj, whose colt Supreme Soul had given the ex-champion jockey his first Triple Crown victory in 2019.
It was Ellis’s first race aboard Calculus as the colt, bred by Sensational Slam out of the Bernardini mare Trinket, recorded his third win from eight lifetime starts.
Out of the starting gates, the 2000 Guineas champion Miniature Man cruised out of the three-box to lead and went to the mile pole in front, chased by the 93-1 outsider Simba the Lion and last year’s champion two-year-old Further and Beyond.
Ellis made a sharp move forward leaving the six-furlong marker and in a flash had surged from seventh to fourth on the heels of the front running trio.
Calculus and Further and Beyond quickened away from a fading Miniature Man for a duel leaving the half-mile while She’s a Wonder accelerated into a challenging third position coming off the final bend.
Ellis was off the rail as he engaged reigning co-champion jockey Dane Nelson aboard Further and Beyond on his outside while She’s a Wonder darted to the rail for her homestretch challenge.
The battle was brief as Calculus responded to a few left-handed cracks of the whip and pulled clear for the big win that Ellis thinks makes him favourite for the August 6 Jamaica Derby.
“He’ll be the one to beat for sure,” said Ellis, who already has five Derby wins.
Calculus clocked two minutes 08 and 4/5ths of a second for the 10-furlong trip.
“It feels very good, I love my fans because they know when it comes to big races, Shane Ellis is the man,” added the 47-year-old who also won St Leger races aboard Typewriter (2012), Relampago (2014), Marquesas (2018) and Supreme Soul two years ago.
Subratie, who won last year’s St Leger with 31-1 outsider Nipster, only took charge of Calculus – coming from the Anthony Nunes stables -- in recent weeks. The colt arrived at his stables on June 7 when Maharaj purchased him from another T&T owner Shivam Maharaj.
In spite of Calculus’s failure to win from three starts since his Sir Howard Stakes Guineas prep victory in mid-March, Subratie said he anticipated a strong St Leger effort.
“I expected him to run very well because he has beaten those horses, some of them before. He had some issues, it took a couple of weeks to kind of figure it out,” Subratie said, adding that Calculus will be the horse to beat in the Derby. “Most definitely he just showed it.”
Jamaica’s men’s 4x100m relay team emphatically punched their ticket to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with a season-best 37.80 to win at the London Diamond League on Saturday.
Jamaica added two medals to their tally on the final day of the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 on Sunday, earning silver in the inaugural mixed 4x100m relay and bronze in the women’s 4x100m, while the men’s sprint relay team was again denied by misfortune.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago in the first of their two-match international friendly series at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Thursday night. A late goal from centre-back Sue-Lae McCalla proved decisive, giving the home side a much-needed win.
Defending champions Jamaica have been eliminated from contention in the CG United Insurance Super50 after suffering a narrow one-wicket defeat to the Leeward Islands in Basseterre on Monday. This marks their third consecutive loss in the tournament, a campaign that has been plagued by inconsistent bowling despite strong performances from key batters.
Jamaica's hopes of advancing in the Davis Cup were dashed on Sunday as they suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to New Zealand at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre. Despite a spirited effort from the home team, the Kiwis secured victory in the decisive singles match to book their place in the World Cup II ties in September, while Jamaica now faces relegation to Group 3 in the Americas Zone.
The Jamaican government, through the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, has announced a significant initiative to reward the nation’s delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. On Friday, Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange confirmed that JMD$45 million in appreciation grants will be disbursed to the accounts of 66 athletes and 21 athlete-support personnel. This gesture comes as a demonstration of the government’s gratitude for their dedication and representation of Jamaica on the global stage.
Jamaica is set to make history as the host of the inaugural CAZOVA U17 Boys and Girls Volleyball Championship, scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 4, 2025. This groundbreaking tournament will serve as a qualification event for the FIVB U17 World Championships, further cementing Jamaica’s position as a growing force in regional volleyball.
Jamaica’s Under-17 football team opened their CONCACAF U-17 World Cup qualifying campaign in Group H on a strong note, securing a 3-1 victory over St. Lucia in Guatemala City on Monday night.
Jamaica's U17 football team delivered a dominant performance in their Concacaf World Cup qualifying match against the Cayman Islands, securing an emphatic 10-1 victory at the Estadio La Pedrera in Guatemala on Wednesday evening. The impressive win marks the first time since 2014 that the U17 Reggae Boyz have hit double-digit figures in goals, reminiscent of their commanding 19-0 triumph over the US Virgin Islands in August of that year.
Jamaica reasserted its regional sprint dominance by capturing three of the four 4x100m relay titles to close out an electrifying second day of the 52nd Carifta Games in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday night. In a show of consistency and crowd-pleasing resilience, the host nation claimed medals in all four relays to keep their home supporters on their feet at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts has praised the U17 Reggae Boyz for their performances in the Concacaf U17 Championship, despite their agonizing 2-1 loss to El Salvador on Saturday night, which saw them narrowly miss out on a place at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.
Under first-time Derby-winning jockey Philip Parchment, King Arthur surged past the front-running filly Another Affair at the eighth pole and won the JA$6.5 million (US$45,000) Derby by a half-length over St Leger winner Nipster. Another Affair was a further 1-1/2 lengths back in third and Oneofakind fourth. The 9-5 favourite Wow Wow ended sixth.
King Arthur clocked two minutes 33.20 for the 12-furlong trip on a track made sloppy because of heavy afternoon showers.
“He had won in the mud (before) so after the rain and the track became very sloppy, I gave him an excellent chance,” ex-champion trainer DaCosta said after a seventh Derby victory that reignites his bid to challenge for the trainers’ championship title.
The lone filly in the field Another Affair at 40-1 odds cruised into the lead out of the starting gates under jockey Jerome Innis and was two lengths ahead of the stalking pair of King Arthur and Mahogany (4-1) as the 10-horse field passed the stands for the first time.
Behind the front three, Wow Wow raced in a four-horse group with joint 2-1 second-favorites Nipster and Oneofakind and Money Monster (38-1).
Another Affair, who was runner-up in both Fillies Classics – the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks – in the summer, accelerated down the backstretch to lead by over three lengths at the half-way stage, tracked by Mahogany followed by King Arthur and a quickening Oneofakind. Another Affair’s stablemates Wow Wow and Nipster were fifth and seventh respectively at that stage.
Another Affair kept her clear advantage approaching the final bend and as Mahogany faded, King Arthur and Oneofakind accelerated toward the lead.
King Arthur was the first to pounce on the leader early in the home stretch and while Nipster quickened with a motoring rail run reminiscent of his upset St Leger triumph last month, Another Affair appeared to lose some momentum when the whip flew from her rider’s left hand.
Parchment’s aggressive ride with right-hand whipping roused King Arthur past Another Affair who resisted briefly before fast-closing Nipster applied considerable pressure in the run to the finish.
“I can’t explain (my emotions), I am overjoyed,” Parchment said moments after only his second Classic triumph. He had won aboard Princess Annie in the 2019 Oaks for the same Watson/DaCosta combination.
Parchment, who won the Most Improved Rider award for 2019 at Caymanas Park, was aboard King Arthur for the first time in a race but his familiarity with the gelding on the exercise track served him well in the season’s last Classic.
“I am the one who has been working him in the morning. I kind of understand him. I know what he can and what he cannot do. When I saw how the rain was falling I knew he loves this and he was gonna enjoy this,” Parchment said.
With the win, DaCosta sliced into Anthony Nunes’s trainers’ championship lead which stood at JA$5.3 million (US$36,000) entering the Derby raceday. DaCosta also landed Saturday’s co-feature SVREL Sprint Trophy with England’s Rose to climb to JA$36.31m (US$251,000) in 2020 purse earnings and within striking distance of Nunes’s JA$37.68m (US$261,000).
Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago battled to a 1-1 draw in their second international friendly on Sunday night at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex in Kingston. The match followed Jamaica’s 1-0 victory in Montego Bay last Thursday, bringing the two-match series to a competitive close.
Renowned Jamaican coach Glen Mills, celebrated for mentoring sprint legends like Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, has revealed his excitement about working with 100m hurdles world-record holder and 2022 world champion, Tobi Amusan. The Nigerian star, who was previously been coached by Jamaican Olympian Lacena Golding-Clarke, has secretly been training in Jamaica under Mills' guidance since September.
Jamaica’s Head Coach Steve McClaren has made it clear that his team will not be taking St Vincent and the Grenadines lightly when they clash in the first of two CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers in Kingstown on Friday night. While the Reggae Boyz boast a significantly higher ranking and a strong squad, McClaren insists that the opposition has the quality to pose a real threat.
