Leading claiming rider Richie Shakes continues to make very good use of the opportunities to make a mark this early in his fledgling career.
A 2024 graduate of the Jamaica Racing Commission and now six months into his first full year as a professional, with double success on today’s card, has taken his tally to 21 wins from 147 rides, including 19 and 24 second and third places respectively.
In the opener, the promising reinsman partnering 3/1 choice Blade, saddled by trainer owner Donovan Clarke, was able to win the four-furlong gallop by three parts of a length over his nearest rival in a driving finish.
Nearer last than close to the wide-margin two pacemakers in race three, Maya (5-1) from the Norman Smith stable was guided by Shakes to complete a long, steady and timely run-in scoring by a length and a half over the seven and a half furlongs of race three.
Reyan Lewis, the 2023 champion, also secured a double as he was aboard Justin Bigtime (8-5) for the first of two wins for trainer Gary Subratie, back from a fresh success at Gulfstream Park. The four-year-old colt was in a war of attrition from the distance with MS Cherry (7-2), ridden by Tyrese Anderson, but prevailed by a neck at the end of the five-and-a-half-furlong course of race two.
At the end of the six-and-a-half-furlong race six, a maiden condition restricted to three-year-old maiden fillies, Lewis was back in the winners’ enclosure after guiding Roaring Kitty (2-1) to a winning margin of two and a half lengths for trainer Ian Parsard.
Half an hour earlier, race five, over the maximum straight course, was won by Sensational Move (2-5) from the Gary Subratie outfit by a margin of five lengths to close the stable double and open a four-timer for champion and leading jockey Raddesh Roman.
Race seven, the featured Good Prospect Trophy and run at six and a half furlongs, was secured with a front-running effort from Woman In Love (2-1).
This, as second-generation horseman Peter-John Parsard emulated the feat of his dad Ian, with Roman executing the riding honours for the second success of his eventual four.
Sent off the favourite at odds of 3-5, the hard-knocking five-year-old mare Wayne’s Princess, declared by Gary Griffiths, was deservedly a four-and-a-half length winner over the five and a half furlongs of race eight for Roman’s third.
In finishing three parts of a length second aboard 3-1 bet Successful Man, Roman had his sequence of successes interrupted in race nine.
Solace (6-1), saddled by Barrington Bernard, was well ridden by infrequently engaged Sadiki Blake to score over the six-and-a-half-furlong journey. This was Blake’s fourth opportunity of the season and he had a second-place finish on one of his previous three.
However, the expansive clique of fanatical Roman supporters was back in celebratory mood with a timely recoup of losses. Appropriately named Money Box (3-2), saddled by veteran conditioner Arnold Rambally and running over the five and a half furlongs of race ten, won by just under four lengths to confirm the four-timer. This was yet another hugely successful day for the generally reserved but supremely confident reinsman.
