KINGSTON, Jamaica - Basilicus, the first horse raffled at Caymanas Park as a yearling two years ago, finally brought unbridled joy to his owner Basil Gooden.
Basilicus, a small dark bay filly by Performing Magic - Regency raced twice as a two-year-old last year and showed little promise.
Trained by Gary Subratie, Basilicus came home under jockey Anthony Thomas by three lengths in a Maiden Special Weight contest among native-bred three-year-olds going four furlongs (800m) straight on Saturday, February 15 at Caymanas Park.
Gooden could not contain his pleasure of being a winning owner for the first time.
Gooden shared the moment with this publication.
“I came down here one day at a regular workout session and was standing where Gary [Subratie] stands in the mornings to watch his horses train, and a lady came down and asked me to “buss” her as she just got the tickets. I said to her sell me two tickets, and I just signed the book and took the ticket stubs, carried them home, and put them in my jacket pocket.
“To be honest, I never remembered the tickets and, it was not until the ticket-draw day that I remembered. But when the draw was going on, I did not have the chance to watch it on television.
“Then the phone rang, and I answered. The person on the line asked if I was Basil Gooden, and I said, ‘yes’. Then the person said, ‘you are the winner of the raffle.’
“I was so excited; words cannot say,” Gooden shared.
The new owner then gave the conditioning duties to Subratie and proceeded to wait anxiously for the winning day.
“The trainer persevered with her, and now it has finally paid off.
“A lot more is expected from her, but we are taking it one step at a time,” said an optimistic Gooden.
