Mercedes leads field in Barbados Triple Crown race, faces 8 contenders in Midsummer Creole Classic on July 13

Top 3-year-old filly Mercedes, undefeated in three starts this year, will go after the second leg of the Barbados triple crown when she faces off with 8 others in The Midsummer Creole classic on Saturday 13 July.

The Midsummer Creole Classic will be the last race on the 8-race program with a purse of $40 000 plus subs totalling $35,000 at the 1800-metre trip for locally bred 3-year-olds and will run off at 6:00 p.m.

Owned by Messrs Kerland Felician and Stephen Jardine, the Richard Deane trained filly had galloped away from Lucious and Moschara to win the Barbados Guineas, the first leg of the Barbados triple crown, in her last start on 30 April.

If Mercedes wins the Midsummer Classic, she will become just the third horse, after Incitatus in 1996, and Areutalkintome in 2009, to win both the Guineas and Midsummer Classic undefeated as a 3-year-old. Both Incitatus and Areutalkintome went on to win the Barbados Derby and sweep the triple crown series.

Rickey Walcott will have the reins on Mercedes at 121 pounds from gate 7.

Show Time, the daughter of Showmethemoney, finished a well-placed fifth in the Barbados Guineas, but ran her field into the ground in the Royal Opera Breeders Stakes on 7 June, making all the running, as well as defeating Moschara and Heroes Day in the process.

Show Time, owned and trained by Kenny Joseph, is the only horse in the field to win at 1800 metres, when she won the Breeders stakes. Delano Lopez has the ride at 121 pounds.

Moschara, owned by the father-and-son team of David and Darren Matthews, is one of the most consistent horses in the field, having seven starts. Her only off-the-board finish was when her jockey fell on Boxing Day 2023.

Trained by Darren Matthews, Moschara placed third in the Barbados Guineas, before being runner-up to Show Time last time out in the Breeders Stakes. However, Moschara has only won once, which was last year. Eric Daniel has the ride at 119 pounds.

Melrose Racing owned 3-year-old colt Sant Antoni is well-known as being the last horse to defeat the mighty Mercedes, doing so on 30 November 2023 at the sprint trip of 1100 metres.

Trained by Romel Lovell, Sant Antoni was a fourth place finisher in the Barbados Guineas in his last start, and should be in the top four once again. Teshawn Hazelwood has the mount.

Heroes’ Day, Lucious, Makossa Princess, Queen of the South, and Papillion round off the field.

Mercedes is favoured to win, followed by Show Time, Maschera, and Sant Antoni. Post time for Race 1 is 2:00 p.m.

(KL)