Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

THE FILLY IT IS I made amends for her second-place finishes in the 1000 Guineas and Oaks with a thrilling victory in the 68th running of the Lotto Classic for the Governor's Cup over 2000 metres for native bred three-year-olds at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Ridden by lightweight apprentice Carlton 'Little Big Man' Malcolm, IT IS I, running at odds of 6-1 in a field of 14, won by a neck from the fast-finishing MINISTEROFJUSTICE (22-1) under Richie Mitchell to complete a fabulous day for top-line trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes who saddled four winners for the first time in his career.

But while Nunes enjoyed his best day in saddling the winner of this prestigious race for the second consecutive year, having done so with 14-1 outsider IL CAIMANO last year, noted Barbadian owner Elias Haloute was not present to see IT IS I win the race in his colours for the second straight year.

haloute in hospital

Haloute, who flew into the island from Barbados on Thursday, suffered a stroke on Friday morning and had to be rushed to the Andrews Memorial Hospital where he was admitted. One of Haloute's associates, Barbadian Ron Karp, spoke to him via cell phone immediately after the race and said he was delighted with the win and his condition was improving. Significantly, horses owned by Haloute and trained by Nunes won three races. In addition to IT IS I in the $2.5 million feature, SMILE OUT won the fourth race under Trinidadian jockey Brian Harding at odds of 5-2 and the two-year-old debutant WORKING IMAGE made all impressively at odds of 9-5 in the $650,000 Lotto Dash over 600 metres straight for native bred two-year-olds to send Haloute into a big lead in the owners' standings with more than $8.1 million.

The 2000 Guineas runner-up COMMANDER ZERO, with Dane Nelson riding for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, was installed a howling 3-5 favourite in the Lotto Classic, but in the end he failed to stay the distance and was beaten into third place.

COMMANDER ZERO was sent through ahead of the early leaders HONEY BUNNY (48-1), LEONIDAS (5-1) and the Harding-ridden top-weight JOSIE WALES (8-1) passing the 1000-metre pole, at which stage IT IS I was held off the early pace in fifth.

commanding lead

But although turning for home with a commanding lead over stable-companion GOOD HOPE (56-1) on the inside, LEONIDAS in the middle and IT IS I on the outside, COMMANDER ZERO soon began to shorten, giving way to IT IS I a furlong out. At this stage, MINISTEROFJUSTICE (outpaced) began to close strongly on the rails, but under torrid right whipping from Malcolm, IT IS I was able to hold him at bay by a neck with another three lengths to COMMANDER ZERO in third.

Bred by many-time champion breeder Henry W. Jaghai, IT IS I, a bay filly by Footloose II out of the Wise Emissary mare Private Nunber has now won twice from 10 career starts with total stakes of $3.2 million.

Malcolm, who notched the biggest win of his career, was elated: "I stuck to the game plan and it worked out fine. The trainer instructed me to sit close enough in third or fourth positions and ask her to run up the lane. "I knew I had the favourite beaten leaving the quarter pole for he was stopping rapidly, but I was surprised that the second horse made it so close," Malcolm said

LOTTO SPRINT TROPHY

On a day when two-time champion Brian Harding and Shane Ellis rode three winners each, the Noel Ennevor-trained MEDICAL REPORT (5-1), under champion jockey Omar Walker, won the hotly-contested Lotto Sprint Trophy (grade one) over 1100 metres in a bang-up finishing also involving the 2-1 favourite and top weight MUSICAL MAESTRO (Harding up) and the imported filly SMOOTHABILITY (6-1) in a field of 11.

Owned by Cleveland Mitchell and bred by Owen and Solomon Sharpe, the 7-y-o gelding by The Medic out of Princess Ellen duly chalked up his fourth consecutive win since March 1.