KINGSTON, Jamaica – Trainer Wayne DaCosta and apprentice Raddesh Roman both earned three winners on the Betting Gaming and Lotteries sponsored Emancipation Day (Thursday, August 1) 10-race programme.
DaCosta continues to dominate the two-year-old races this season having won three of the four races contested thus far. England Rose has won two and on Thursday, Dejae’s Boy was an easy winner over the four-straight course with stable jockey Omar Walker on board.
The champion trainer who is way behind Anthony Nunes in this year’s championship then took the last two races on the day.
In the ninth, DaCosta’s Summer Sun, an imported chestnut colt benefited from a superb ride by apprentice Raddesh Roman to record his third victory in Jamaica.
The effort by Roman must be lauded as when he made his move on the inside rails leaving the four-furlong marker, the other main contenders including favourite She’s An Introvert, were crippled, leaving Roman and Summer Sun to win easily by 2 ¼ lengths.
The DaCosta – Roman combination sealed their Emancipation triple effort in the nightcap when Roman brought Winter Is Coming from way off the pace to win over 6 ½ furlongs.
Again, Roman showed his developing ability as he waited and waited on Winter Is Coming and then got his mount rolling over the last two furlongs.
The hope now is for Roman to learn for these successes, put in the work required and continue on the path of development.
Another apprentice Christopher Mamdeen who has been blazing a rather hot winning trail since the start of the year has been winless over the last two race days.
In the first seven months of 2019, Mamdeen has ridden an amazing 63 winners and is leading colleague apprentice Reyan Lewis by 15 wins in the race to become the 2019 champion jockey.
That Mamdeen has set the Park on fire is a no-brainer, so should there be concern about his present form?
The answer is a yes and a no. Yes, because any drop off in form has to be taken seriously and no because Mamdeen is light and still able to claim.
Then there is also the rule of thumb of nature, that there has to be a tapering at some time and in the case of Mamdeen he has been riding some man doubles and triples that Mother Nature is probably intervening at this stage.
The young man is a good rider and if the necessary application is continued this drought might indeed be temporary.
Now to the fortunes of Chace The Great.
The reigning sprint champion has now raced five times this year and has still not recorded a victory. Chace The Great’s last effort on Emancipation Day was lacklustre to say the least.
Reunited with jockey Anthony Thomas, Chace The Great was never a factor throughout the 5 ½ furlongs of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission feature on Thursday (Emancipation Day).
Chace The Great now six-years-old, does not seem to have the oomph of past years but let us not write him off so quickly as there is still a lot of racing left in the year.
