KINGSTON, Jamaica - RACEHORSE groom Lyndel Bennett said it was a blend of patience, hard work, dedication, and ability which allowed him to fulfil his dream of grooming a winner of the Jamaica Derby.
Calculus, groomed by Bennett, won the Blue Riband event by a neck in the 101st running of the Grade 1, $7.5-million race presented by BetMakers last Saturday (August 7, 2021) at Caymanas Park.
Trained by Gary Subratie and ridden by Shane Ellis, Calculus (Sensational Slam – Trinket Box) defeated Billy Whizz (Dick Cardenas) and Further and Beyond (Dane Nelson) in a time of 2:37.4.
“I feel happy and I am full of joy right now. I must first and foremost give thanks to both the trainer and the jockey as well as the owner. It’s a lot of hard work that was put into this victory by Calculus and to where we wanted to reach,” Bennett told this publication the day after winning the Derby.
“This is my first Jamaica Derby win and I am happy for that. I have been grooming horses for a long time now and to win my first Derby is something special. When Calculus won the Jamaica St Leger, that was my first Classic win also, and to go on to win the Derby? Marvellous, just marvellous!” he continued.
After Calculus won the Jamaica St Leger last month, Bennett said that he was 110 per cent confident that his charge would win the Jamaica Derby.
“From he [Calculus] came here the trainer cleaned him up and made sure to it that everything was okay with him. The trainer started to train him and found out that, yes, he needed the figure 8 — and from there on we saw a lot of improvement from him.
“My confidence going into the Jamaica Derby was very high. When I had checked it out, I found out that he was the best breeding horse in the race. I knew what he was going to do. I just give thanks for how it worked out,” Bennett said.
Bennett then informed that Calculus came out of the Jamaica Derby in fine condition.
“Right now, he is the best horse that I have groomed. I have won many cup and trophy races but not any of the Classic races, not until Calculus came along, and I am grateful for everything. Calculus came out of the race in good order. He is happy and I give thanks for that. He ate out well,” he said.
