Champion trainer John O'Brien looks set to dominate the Juvenile events on Boxing Day namely the St Ann's Stakes for fillies and the St James Stakes for the colts and geldings, both over a distance of 1,350 metres.
For this season, O'Brien has won every juvenile event contested. His string which includes the leading two-year-old thus far Early Bird, which has won four races on the trot makes challenging O'Brien a formidable task. Unless former champion trainer Glenn Mendez has an unraced and very talented juvenile waiting to be unleashed on Boxing Day, it looks like clear sailing for the O'Brien trained runners.
Early Bird which is owned and bred locally by Hugh Leong Poi will be a short-priced favourite to win the St James Stakes. Early Bird won the first event for the juvenile at Santa Rosa Park, this year and on that day outbattled stablemate Marengo to win half-a-length with Brian Boodramsing in the saddle.
He came back on October 27 to win the Nursery Stakes over 1,000m in good style by two lengths when defeating The Harold Chadee trained Regal Intension and Marengo. This race proved that Early Bird had improved significantly but better was yet to come. On November 24 in the Stud Farm Association Breeders Stakes over 1,200 metres Early Bird put up a fantastic display when winning by 4 3/4 lengths from debutant and stablemate Making Headlines which showed promise.
The gelding produced the time of 1:14.09 for the trip and looks like a horse capable of getting the 1,350m trip of the St James Stakes comfortably.
Marengo stablemate of Early Bird is one for the shortlist and he could prove to be a very good second season horse. However, the stable which will offer the stiffest competition will be the horses from the stable of Harold Chadee.
His Regal Intension and Evening Jewel have shown that they are good juveniles. However, Regal Intension proximity to O'Brien top two-year-old filly Shes So Spectacular last Saturday is something worth writing home about. Regal Intension was handing out four kilos to the Chevan Maharaj owned filly and ran with gusto to be beaten by two lengths at the line after battling with that filly from 500m out.
Regal Intension has gone into every notebook and he will be expected to give Early Bird a scare over 1,350m. The same comment applies to his stablemate Evening Jewel which was doing his best work at the finish on his debut. Harold Chadee knows how to prepare his juveniles and this year's St James Stakes will be worth going miles to see.