KINGSTON, Jamaica - Having appealed his six-day ban for several riding infractions which should have commenced on December 14, leading rider Christopher Mamdeen has made full use of the opportunity to keep riding. This, while the Jamaica Racing Commission tries to convene a quorum to hear the matter.
Although Mamdeen’s mount Struck by Grace was disqualified from the first two weeks prior, trainer Neville Peralto had no loss of confidence and re-engaged the popular reinsman. On this occasion, there was no incident on the way to a 2 ½-length victory to open the 11-race programme.
Apprentice Nicholas Hibbert, a recent licencee, got his career off when he made no mistake aboard the Richard Azan-trained Voytek to take the second event. The strong-looking speedy colt being always clear in the home straight to score handily by five lengths.
Not the best way from the starting gate in the day’s third, Mr Pantheon had no difficulty in sprinting up the inner rails to dispute the lead while still on the bridle. Trainer Ryan Derby’s charge turned for home on top and needed a lot of persuasion from Raddesh Roman inside the last 100 metres and only beat his two main rivals Blood Song and Sunshine Cat by a nose and a short-head respectively.
In race five, leading owner Carlton Watson’s Cruising Motion conditioned by Johnny Wilmot outsprinted rivals early and ran well in the home straight to score by a 1 ½ lengths to give veteran rider Phillip Parchment his 21st winning mount in a year when the hard-working jockey was side-lined for over two months with an injury to his hand.
In the 800-metre sprint of the sixth event apprentice, Marshall Porter had his mount Awesome Cat out-speeding her field to be three lengths clear of her nearest rival. As a result, trainer Collin Ferguson enjoyed a second trip to the winners’ enclosure in a year when he has started horses in only 18 races to date.
The next hour, reserved for races seven and eight, belonged to the temperamental reinsman Aaron Chatrie. At his typical energetic best, Chatrie guided the Anthony Nunes-trained Mamacita at odds of 27/1 scoring by a short-head and followed with Spencer Chung’s lightly raced filly Unknown Soldier.
It was virtually an unintended celebration of his first championship by 2019 designate Christopher Mamdeen who had a second winner with God of Love. The three-year-old held off a strong challenge from the Dane Nelson-ridden Prince Charles to give trainer Fitzgerald Richards the first of two wins on the day. Richards then scored with Herecomestheboss (Jerome Innis), making all to score by over three lengths in the penultimate event.
It was a long wait for the Dane Nelson fans, but he brought trainer Lawrence Freemantle’s Treasure Train with a well-timed late run in the nightcap to avoid a winless day narrowly.
