Jamaica's Miracle Man stalked the pace for most of the race and made a decisive move at the top of the stretch to win the $100,000 Clásico Copa Confraternidad [Confraternity Cup] on Saturday at El Comandante race track.  Ridden by Panamanian and Florida-based jockey Cecilio Penalba, the winner finished the 1 3/16-mile race in 1:59:50.

"I noticed that the two front runners were in a speed duel, so I decided to be patient and wait for the right moment to make my move," Penalba said. "When I asked him to go at the quarter pole he responded nicely and I knew right there I was going to be tough to beat."

The Clásico Confraternidad is part of the Serie Hípica del Caribe [Caribbean Horse Racing Series], being celebrated in Puerto Rico. The stakes race is for horses three years old and older bred in countries belonging to Caribbean Horse Racing Confederation. The Clásico Copa Confraternidad victory marked the first time that a Jamaica-bred has won the 1 3/16-mile race.

Miracle Man, a four-year-old Law of the Sea colt out of the The Medic mare Hya, is owned by Allan Williams Stable and it's trained by his owner. Bred by Joseph Duany, Miracle Man has won 15 of 20 starts.

Mexico's Yack Lider finished second, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Puerto Rico's Borrascoso, who won last season's Clásico del Caribe.

Earlier in the afternoon, Mexico-bred Walking Proud, a three-year-old Prouth Clearence colt, won the first stakes of the series, wearing down Puerto Rico's Gold Gift to easily win the $75,000 Copa Velocidad [Sprint Cup] by 4 1/2 lengths.

"This horse showed up his class today" said winning jockey Enrique González.  "We went very fast the first part of the race and he still had plenty left at the end to win going away."

The other special stakes race of the afternoon was the Copa Dama del Caribe [Lady of the Caribbean Cup] for three-year-old fillies, which Puerto Rico's Batalladora won in wire to wire fashion.

Trained by Sammy García and ridden by local star rider Juan Carlos Díaz, Batalladora setup an easy pace and was able to hold off Panama's Allegra at the end by just a head.

"Winning this type of race at home in front of the local fans is something very special," Diaz said. "I was able to make her relax during the race and even though the other filly was closing left I had just enough to win the race."

The Serie Hípica del Caribe continues tomorrow with two more stakes races.  First it will be the $75,000 Copa Citgo [Citgo Cup] for three-year-olds and older. It is the only race in the series that has no breed restrictions. The main event of the series is the $300,000 Clásico del Caribe [Caribbean Derby].

Two-time Eclipse award winner John Velazquez will be riding Puerto Rico's Kylemore Abbey in the Copa Citgo and Mexico's Tenochtitlan in the Clásico del Caribe. This year Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) winning rider, Fernando Jara, also will ride in the Clásico. Jara is scheduled to ride Panama's Ay Papa.—Carlos A. Peña-Rivera