There were 15-runners going to post for this year’s Jamaican 2,000 Guineas. With a field of that size, we might have been able to predict a fast early pace and a test of stamina as a result, but this went far beyond that. The early leader, Another One, broke rapidly from a wide draw, taking 4,0s to reach 30 mph and being driven hard into the back straight. He couldn’t sustain that kind of pace and was beaten with 4-furlongs to run, eventually finishing last of the 15. However, his role in the race should not be underestimated and what he did in those opening 400m meant that there were no hiding places for the horses in behind. Finishing speeds of 93% from the winner and 91.4% from the runner-up confirm the point about both the fast early speed and the stamina sapping final 2-furlongs in the home straight.
The first horse to heap praise upon is the runner-up, Bob the Builder. He had a decent draw in stall 1, but having raced behind the early leader, he has run a superb race to still be in contention in the final furlong. To add some context to just how much energy was being used by those horses that raced prominently, we can compare the winner with the runner-up over the opening 1,000m. Bob the Builder took a total of 60.77s to cover the opening 5-furlongs, which was 0.69s faster than the winner. At an average of 12.15s per furlong, this was too fast ultimately and when we compare it to his final 2-furlongs of 14.22 and 14.45s, we can see how much Bob the Builder was slowing down in the home straight at Caymanas Park. He finished very tired, with an average stride length of just 5.43m in the final furlong, well below his race peak average of 8.03m as his stride frequency dropped to a race low average of 2.06 per second. As he took up the lead on the home turn, he looked like the winner, but his stamina just failed to last home and despite the efforts of Raddesh Roman, he was unable to repel the stronger finish from the well backed Favourite.
Sensational Soul was sent off as a 6/5 favourite and whilst he was probably further back than his supporters may have liked as the field rounded the turn, once Shane Ellis got into the drive position, he always looked likely to run down Bob the Builder in the straight. Finishing in furlongs of 13.58 and 14.00s, he was able to make up 4-lengths on the runner-up and his run-out speed of 30.65 mph was the best in the field. His top speed of 42.32 mph was faster than the placed horses in behind, but the key was his riders ability to conserve his energy for the finish. Although both his stride length and stride frequency figures did drop in the home straight, he had far more gas left in the tank than his main rival and that was the key. In the final 2-furlongs, his average stride lengths recorded at 6.23m, lower than his race peak average of 7.40m, but a drop of 1.17m compared with the drop of 2.60m recorded for Bob the Builder. A longer stride in the closing stages allowed him to get his head in front where it mattered and he emerged as a worthy champion in a very strong test for the thoroughbred.