Dane Nelson has now been confirmed as the 2014 champion jockey, his third successive title. This was after main rival and former champion Dick Cardenas departed the island last Wednesday to be with his family in his homeland, Panama. Cardenas chose to be with family owing to the illness of his father.

His future as a rider in Jamaica is cast in doubt as news circulating in the mornings indicate that he might well be heading for the United States with the Aqueduct racetrack being named as a possible destination.

Cardenas, who was champion jockey in 2011 was on 96 winners, trailing Nelson (105) by nine winners at the time he made the decision to leave with five racedays to go.

Nelson and Cardenas were involved in an intriguing battle for championship honours with the lead changing hands raceday after raceday. Nelson then broke through on November 8, 2014 (Superstakes Day), riding a three-timer to move one ahead of Cardenas. This was after he was chasing Cardenas for most of season and at one point was five winners behind the former champion.

Riding on the crest of that momentum, Nelson kept on going and going, while Cardenas could find no answer to the persistent onslaught by the now three-time champion jockey.

As if his three-timer on November 8 was not enough, Nelson, the man racing fans has dubbed, ‘The Warrior Chief’, produced yet another magnificent display from the pigskin on November 29 (Pick 3 raceday) with a superb five-timer, his second for the season and third overall in his career.

Also highlighting a successful season for Nelson was the victory on Commanding Chief in the Prime Minister’s Stakes on August 6. Nelson aboard Commanding Chief with 57.0 kg, produced the six-year-old gelding to get the better of the lighter Perfect Neighbour (52.0 kg), with Shamaree Muir in the saddle, in a driving finishing to send racing fans into wild celebration.

The one kink in Nelson’s armour is that he was unable to ride a Classic winner in 2014, an honour which remains the property of Shane Ellis who had three Classic winners, Relampago in the Derby and St Leger and Raeven Renae in the Jamaica Oaks.

The 2015 season sees Nelson as the favourite to win the title with his opponents probably being Omar Walker, a former four time champion and Cardenas if he decides to return to race riding in Jamaica.