The race that matters most — the Jamaica Derby

When this article appears, the five 2026 Classics winners would have been decided, and importantly, the momentous decision of the four-time and reigning champion Jason DaCosta to declare Dream Catcher, winner of the 1000 Guineas and Jamaica Oaks, to contest the Jamaica Derby five days after the latter race would have been justified or otherwise. Incidentally, when Gary Subratie had this decision to make, with the outstanding filly Atomica in 2022, winning just the Derby was good enough. Jason’s rise to the top of the cohort of local trainers is meteoric and confirms that the second-generation conditioner has developed into an extremely knowledgeable horseman at age 41, which in this profession is deemed young.

Between the USA and Jamaica, Wayne has a total of 960 wins with 527 and 433, in each jurisdiction respectively. To date, this career performance is in the mould of his late father Wayne, who was a titlist on 18 occasions with stakes earnings exceeding $2.0 billion. I always found it flattering that, being obsessed with handicapping, Wayne was interested in my views on the allotment of the weights in the races where it really mattered.

I remember a chance meeting with Wayne at Gulfstream Park in 2012. He explained that being there was to assist in trying to get Jason established. Incidentally, in 2009-10 in his first two seasons, early in his learning process, Jason saddled a total of four winners.

Now, a decade and a half later, with stakes earnings of US$10.5 million, the rest is history as indicated above. Irrespective of the outcome, in making this decision, Jason would have been satisfied that Dream Catcher came out of the Oaks without exhaustion from the fast-run 10-furlong St. Also, that the dual Classic winner will get the distance, and the 5lbs sex allowance may be an advantage as well, since with five career wins she is a highly rated horse in the lineup.

With 45 of 77 race days completed, exactly five months of the 2026 Racing Year in Jamaica remain. As things stand, Dream Catcher, with $7.57 million, leads Phenomenal Power (USA) by $2,100 in stakes earnings. Former three-time champion conditioner Anthony Nunes trails DaCosta by nearly $13.0 million in that title race.

Truth be told, this advantage may very well be beyond recall even with the remaining substantial prize money available going forward.