Sandy Lane Gold Cup Preview

Saturday sees one of the jewels in the Caribbean racing calendar as the Sandy Lane Gold Cup takes place, one of the biggest sporting events on the island of Barbados.

The race attracts regular visitors from North American and sometimes from Europe, and is run at Garrison Savannah Racecourse, located close to the island's capital, Bridgetown.

The stellar meeting includes some top international jockeys and trainers taking on the best local and regional talents, with the feature contest run over 1800m (1m1f) on the Flat.

US-based trainers Mark Casse, Mike Maker and Chad Brown are on the recent list of winners and the latest staging of the Sandy Lane Gold Cup goes to post at 5.40pm local-time on Saturday March 1st, which is 9.40pm UK time. We've got the lowdown on the 2025 Sandy Lane Gold Cup ahead of the race.

Defending champion aims to add to Portfolio

Last year's winner Portfolio Company is back for another crack at this race for US trainer Chad Brown.

He's now aged six and would become the fourth horse to win successive renewals, joining a roll of honour alongside Sandford Prince (1991 & 1992), Blast of Storm (2000, 2001 & 2002) and Dorsett (2016 & 2017).

His owner, Gay Smith, is going for a fifth success in the Sandy Lane Gold Cup and will also have Smokin' T and Jerry The Nipper, who finished fourth in the 2024 race, in the mix for the top prize.

After defeating both Portfolio Company and Jerry The Nipper in a race at Gulfstream Park on the synthetic surface recently, Smokin' T is new to the ownership of Smith and could start as a favourite.

Barbados-born but US-based, Saffie Joseph Jr will be represented by Harrow and Public Sector in his quest for a first win in the race.

Rounding out the field will be Trinidadian-based runner The Goddess Nike, along with Barbados locals Show the Money and the mare Vividly making a field of eight contenders at Garrison Savannah Racecourse.

Harrow to end the wait

This race will be dear to Saffie Joseph Jr's heart and he'd love to win with HARROW or Public Sector.

It's the former that gets the nod to score. The American-bred gelding by Lea is out of Street Cry mare Camille Garey and has multiple wins on US tracks.

When last spotted, Harrow was a creditable fifth in the Grade 3 William L. McKnight at Gulfstream Park in January behind the likes of Dashman for trainer Brian Lynch.

That form should be good enough to put him in the mix for this target.

Last year's winner Portfolio Company was behind Smokin' T last time, with the latter subsequently snapped up for $160,000. They are both key players again, with Smokin' T fancied to uphold that form.

Selection: Harrow

Next Best: Smokin' T

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