Brinks looks good for first win of season

BRINKS' last two attempts at sprinting and taking on out-of-class BLUE VINYL off a four-month injury lay-up can be thrown out the window with the conditions now suiting the middle-distance pacer in Sunday's overnight allowance at six and a half furlongs.

Drawn out wide at stall 16, Omar Walker should have a bird's-eye view of the speedsters, who will be at each other's throats to clear the half-mile turn. POWER, POWER RANKING, STOMP THE RHYTHM, and FREEDOM STREET will have LUKSOL to deal with as a spoiler on the lead, setting up a collapsing pace for BRINKS to pounce on.

BRINKS could have most to fear from GREEN GOLD RUSH, a transformed runner under Dalton Sirjue's care this season, climbing from optional-claiming $250,000 in March to being stubborn on the lead when tackled by 2021 Jamaica Cup winner FURTHER AND BEYOND coming off the turn at seven and a half furlongs two Sundays ago in overnight-allowance company.

However, as the saying goes, the higher the monkey climbs, the more he shows his tail. GREEN GOLD RUSH will not only get a baptism of speed from LUKSOL and company but having to keep pace from post-position five will leave him spent against BRINKS rounding rivals at a suitable distance.

Second fiddle to either ATOMICA and BLUE VINYL in the 2022 classics, BRINKS appeared all set to make his way to the top ranks with two impressive victories after placing third in the St Leger and second in the 2000 Guineas and Jamaica Derby.

However, an awful bumping incident at the clubhouse turn on December 3 last year almost brought down the Bern Identity-Indian Bluff colt, leaving him injured and delaying his 2023 debut until April.

Reporting off a four-month lay-up, BRINKS could not have been thrown in at a deeper end on his return, going up against speedy United States-bred MADELYN'S SUNSHINE at five and a half furlongs. MADELYN'S SUNSHINE ripped a hole into the wind that afternoon, clocking 1:05.3 with BRINKS three-and-a-quarter lengths behind but gaining after being slowly into stride.

Returning five days later, BRINKS ran smack into BLUE VINYL, who, similar to ATOMICA, benefited from a conditions get-out-of-jail card to race among overnight allowance horses. To make matters worse, BRINKS carried topweight 126lb, allowing BLUE VINYL eight pounds.

Attempting to make all with the top weight at six and a half furlongs, BRINKS cracked in splits of 34.3, 47.0 and 58.2 as BLUE VINYL rolled past him to win by three and three-quarter lengths.

On his third outing for the season, May 27, BRINKS got hemmed in at post-position one, again with topweight 126lb, losing his position from the half-mile marker to straighten nine lengths off the lead, which he reduced to a length and three-quarters behind 25-1 upsetter D HEAD CORNERSTONE at the wire.

BRINKS gets the right trip and draw to reverse his run of misfortune to bring down the curtains on Sunday with his first win of the season.