PMTC Easter Cup horse meet 2023: Epic showdown anticipated today

The trio of Nasrudeen ‘Junior’ Mohamed, Therbhuwan ‘Turbo’ Jagdeo and Fazal Habibulla will settle their differences today when the highly-anticipated Easter Cup horse meet is hosted at the Port Mourant Turf Club in East Berbice.
Described as a titanic clash that would leave two of them proverbially licking their wounds, the epic question is: which one would walk away with bragging rights and top prizes? Only a dead-heat could change the training result, it is surmised.

‘Junior’ will saddle the undefeated Alado, who, for the first time in his two-race career in Guyana, will be racing outside of the Rising Sun Turf Club in Region Five. The Master Z Stables owns this USA-bred colt who will be having his seasonal bow in the showpiece curtain event, which is the eighth race on the Easter Sunday card at Port Mourant.
Alado has won the Guyana Cup and the President’s Cup to establish a new record, and is attempting to become the first horse to win three consecutive ‘Cup’ races in his career of three starts in Guyana. This has never been achieved by any other horse in the running of the Cup’s ‘Triple Crown’ races.
Alado will be having a rematch with Turbo’s Wild Texas Tom, their both having finished first and second respectively in the Guyana Cup back in August; and the supporters of both horses will be relishing the spectacle and prospects of this rematch. Turbo has thus advised patrons and horsemen to arrive early at the track to avoid being inconvenienced. He advises that strict security protocols would be in place on Sunday.
Turbo, who is fielding top horses Wild Texas Tom, Our Stuie, and T&T-bred Coup D’etat, is flying in T&T jockeys to partner one of his runners.
‘Uncle Fazal’, who will be sporting an ‘Alado’ eyewear presented to him by Junior to improve his ‘vision’, is like a raging bull about the chances of his filly, Ariana’s Vision. Junior also has Looking To Heaven in the race, but she has to improve significantly, as she was soundly trounced by Ariana’s Vision in their clash on 12th March at the Rising Sun Turf Club.
Looking To Heaven, who chalked up a hat-trick of wins and was defeated by Ariana’s Vision when she was on course for a beaver-trick, needs the run, according to Junior. He has declared her much fitter for this return match-up.
The seven-horse field is rounded off with Ice Kreem Sundae, who will be having his first start on Sunday for Junior, and could be the desert to be shared with Alado, Wild Texas Tom and Ariana’s Vision.
The supporting event on this competitive holiday Sunday card is the six-and-a- half-furlong sprint for West Indian-bred three-year-olds and Guyana-bred three-year-old horses. This is the sixth race on the card, and seven horses are entered in this event.
Turbo has the home advantage with three T&T-bred runners in Red Ruby, Renaissance Man and Gypsy King. They come up against recent winner Princess Samiah, along with the experienced Ruff Tide, Rachel and El Dorado Queen.
The fifth race on the card could produce future Guyana Cup contender/s, as there are three recent imports from T&T – Soca Symphony & Game Changer, and the USA-bred U Can’t Handle This.
Soca Symphony is highly respected as she hails from the Derby-winning mare Soca Rhapsody, and her sister, Soca Harmony, won last year’s T&T Derby. She is a versatile sort, and will be at her best in this sprint. Game Changer, who accompanied her on the trip to Guyana, is an improving sort. The change in scenery could be her ‘game changer.’
However, the Javed Ali-owned Soca Symphony has raced at a much higher level than Game Changer in Trinidad, and gets the nod over her stablemate, who is also owned by Ali.
Turbo believes this is the most competitive Easter Sunday card ever staged at Port Mourant, hence he is advising patrons and horsemen to arrive early. The approximate post time is noon.