Lesmore Smith and his entourage were in the winners’ circle for a third time after Laser Sharp and jockey Winston Hurst Jr won the final race of the day, the Emancipation Day Sprint, which was run over 7 furlongs for a purse of $18,000. Photo: VINO

Laser Sharp, centre, digging deep to take victory in the final race of the day at Clinton E. Phipps Sr Racetrack on July 5, 2026. Photo: VINO

Highly Noted and Winston Hurst Jr gave Top Priority Racing Stables the victory in Race 3, a 7 1/2-furlong race for Class D horses. Photo: VINO

Skull Legend before winning her race on Sunday, July 5, 2026. Photo: VINO

Highly Noted and Winston Hurst Jr held off a late charge by Zaga in Race 3. Photo: VINO

Winning jockey Winston Hurst Jr, left, alongside champion horse trainer Kelvin Smith of Top Priority Racing Stables. Photo: VINO

Jockey Winston Hurst Jr featured in all of the races but was only successful on horses from Top Priority Racing Stables. Photo: VINO

Iconic horse owner Lesmore Smith brought the hardware won at the July 5 Races to Tortola on Ocean Dreams. Photo: Ocean Dreams

Mr Smith ended the day with three wins from three races.

Skull legend

The first win for the Virgin Islands came in the second race of the day, a 7-furlong run for mares and fillies for a purse of $10,000.

Skull Legend, trained by Kelvin Smith and ridden by Winston Hurst Jr, allowed Mean Town of Wild Times SS Stables to set the pace, then began to bolt for home at the end of the backstretch.

The winning time was 1:28.

Mean Town was second, followed by Keen Beauty and Irish Prophecy.

“She [Skull Legend] is a distance horse. She doesn’t have much speed, so my best shot was to stay close and make my move. That was exactly what I did, and we prevailed,” Hurst Jr told Virgin Islands News Online.

Highly Noted

It was then back-to-back wins for the Virgin Islands, as Highly Noted of Top Priority Racing Stables led from start to finish in the 7 1/2-furlong race for Class D horses.

The Tortola horse, also trained by Kelvin Smith and ridden by Winston Hurst Jr, held off a late charge by Zaga in Race 3. Third was King George Way.

The race purse was $10,500, and the winning time was 1:35.

Laser Sharp

Lesmore Smith and his entourage were in the winners’ circle once again in the final race of the day, the Emancipation Day Sprint, which was run over 7 furlongs for a purse of $18,000.

Laser Sharp, ridden by Winston Hurst Jr, kept race leader Valued Cajun of Truville Racing in sight before turning up the heat heading into the home straight.

Valued Cajun; however, tried to hold on for the win, but Laser Sharp, trained by Kelvin Smith, took the victory by a neck.

Sound of the Beast of Black Label Racing had to settle for third, while fourth was debut horse Carico of Champion Racing Stables. Trailing in 5^th was Mundo Mix of St Croix.

Ghostinyou injured

The 2024 Governor's Cup Champion, Ghostinyou of Top Priority Racing Stables, was slated to run in the feature race, the Lieutenant Governor’s Cup; however, Mr Smith later revealed to our News Centre that his horse had picked up an injury and was scratched.

Fighting Back, owned by Kenny Francis of Anegada, was also scratched for the feature race, which was won by Neural Network.

It should be noted that jockey Winston Hurst Jr featured in all of the races but was only successful on horses from Top Priority Racing Stables.