There is no doubt that apprentice rider Orlando Foster has hit a purple patch. The winners are now flowing for the young rider and he is responding well. Last Wednesday on the nine-race card, Foster booted home a double Hombre for trainer Cleveland Mitchell and Annie Oakley for trainer Patrick ‘Wacky’ Lynch who has also been enjoying a good period of success. Foster took Hombre to the front and rated the nine-year-old perfectly before allowing him to pull away in the last half a furlong of the race. For trainer Mitchell, it was a rare win, his first for the 2014 season. In the race with Annie Oakley, Foster kept the mare on the stand rails during the entire race, getting home by two lengths in the end. Foster has now ridden 10 winners for the year, and 28 in his career which started on September 8, 2012.

LARRIS ALLEN FINDS THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE

Larris Allen has been around for quite a while now. Nowadays he mostly rides in North America and more often than not is in Jamaica for a two or three month period, wintering as they say. On Wednesday, he found his way back on the special turf that is the winners’ enclosure on the back of Cobra in the featured event, the Mortimer ‘Morty’ Heron trophy over nine furlongs and 25 yards. Allen was involved in a ding dong battle with Paul Francis who rode Sterling Gold as after he got by, Sterling Gold rallied, but in the end Allen was able to get the job done.

THE ‘CAT MAN’ STRIKES AGAIN

There is no way those involved with racing can mistake a horse trained-usually-owned and bred by Carl Anderson, as nearly all of the horses in his barn carry the name ‘cat’. On Wednesday’s race meeting it was the three-year-old Rules of the Cat time to shine in a maiden race. Going five furlongs round, Rules of the Cat was kept off the pace by apprentice O’Brien White, before striding away from leader Zariarichiediamond (Omar Walker) to win comfortably in the end by two and a half lengths. The ‘Cat Man’ had done it again as owner, trainer and breeder.

THE ‘OCTANE’ WAS HIGH

The new promotional initiative, Caymanas Live, got off to a good start on Wednesday with headline performer I-Octane scorching the place much to the delight of patrons at the Park. I-Octane performed two sets, the first in between races and the second after the nine-race card was completed. On both occasions, he was ecstatically greeted by fans as he churned out his hits.