Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
El Rey Sanjay’s Triple Crown hopes dashed due to injury
El Rey Sanjay is injured and will not be in the Triple Crown (Photo: Jagdath Soomarie)
Kaieteur Sports – El Rey Sanjay’s hope of winning Trinidad and Tobago’s Triple Crown series has been dashed.
At the Triple Crown series first nomination stage of the three-race series, which starts with the 1,800-metre Guineas, El Rey Sanjay was amongst the seven horses nominated for the event scheduled to run off on Friday May 31, 2024 – Indian Arrival Day at Santa Rosa Park.
The Suruj Hayban-owned colt scored on his debut over 1,100 metres on Santa Rosa Park’s main track as a three-year-old in a decent 1.08.25 on January27, 2024.
He was then beaten on the turf over 1,600 metres finishing third to Uncle Rog, whom he beat on his debut in January.
El Rey Sanjay bounced back with a near gate to wire success turning back the well-regarded Uncle Rog trained by champion trainer John O’Brien. Based on that performance the colt trained by Lester Alexis was seen as a surefire Triple Crown winner.
However, the injury the chestnut son of St Vigeur/Princess Suri (Street Sense) suffered -has forced him to miss the 1,800-metre Guineas, the 1,900-metre Midsummer Classic, and the 2,000-metre Trinidad Derby Stakes in September.
The son of mare Princess Suri suffered a fracture of his left fore cannon bone and will be out of action for the next five months.
Princess Suri, the dam of El Rey Sanjay is presently in Guyana along with her two foals. She has a full two-year-old brother to El Rey Sanjay, and a half brother who is a weanling in Guyana for breeder/trainer, Fazal Habibulla.
Veteran, Habibulla considers himself very fortunate to own such a well-bred mare, whose grandam is a daughter of Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense.
Princess Suri is reported in foal in Guyana to Nominee.
El Rey Sanjay is named after the owner’s son, Sanjay. This colt won his last race in a quick 1:21 over the 1,350-metre tip turning back all challengers with a near gate to wire success.
The lightly raced, El Rey Sanjay’s performance placed him at the top of his class and was immediately as the odds-on ante post favorite for the Triple Crown series.
Success for King Sanjay, when his racing name, El Rey Sanjay is translated – would have enhanced the racing status of his two brothers now stabled at Rising Sun Turf Club (RSTC), Rising Sun, West Coast, Berbice.
However, on the bright side the racing industry has benefitted from Princess Suri being in Guyana. As he does not have any other offspring in Trinidad, and Princess Suri is a young mare in the breeding shed.
Princess Suri is a multiple Graded Stakes winner, scoring from 1,200 metres to 1,800 metres. She won the Diamond Stakes sprinting, and then won the 1,800-President Cup.
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