HIS place in the pantheon of racing greats is secure. Yet jockey Winston Griffiths continues to befuddle even his most ardent fans with continued performances which belie his age.

Griffiths is hardly in the saddle these days with only 25 rides this season, yet when he does ride, the younger generation of racegoers who did not have the privilege of seeing the Westmorelander in his prime, have to stop, look, and appreciate the greatness of the man affectionately known as ‘Fanna’.

On Saturday last, Griffiths turned back the clock with a spanking double, Long Running Train and Campesino, and judging from the reception he received from those present at Caymanas Park it was clear to see that his greatness is still appreciated.

It was only fitting that Griffiths took the feature race named in honour of Royal Dad, the first Triple Crown winner in 1981 and the first horse in the history of local racing in Jamaica to win 11 consecutive races. It was Griffiths who was associated with Royal Dad and trainer Kenneth Mattis at the time when Royal Dad ruled the racetrack and became a household name.

Long Running Train confirmed her growing status as a horse of significant worth with an eye-catching win in a Restricted Stakes event. Racing for the fifth time this season, Long Running Train defeated her 11 rivals by six lengths going over 1,820 metres.

After racing behind the pace set by Dwayne Star and Dreamcometrue for the majority of the event, Long Running Train, trained by Harry Parsard, picked up the lead after leaving the half-mile and after a short battle with Brawn in the early stretch, the imported offspring of Flower Alley – Cuz You Never Know powered home for an easy victory. Brawn (Omar Walker) held on for second ahead of Southern Cruise (Shane Ellis) in a fast 1:53:4 minutes behind splits of 26:1, 50:3, 1:15:2 and 1:40:4 minutes.

“I realised she (Long Running Train) has a strong pace along with speed, so I used that and she came home easily for the win. Coming into the straight when I asked her to go, she just answered and powered home,” Griffiths said in the winners’ enclosure after his sixth win for this year.

The highly thought of Campesino, who has been dogged with injuries during his career, is now showing his true colours.

Trained by Philip Feanny, Campesino (Compadre – Yaella) scored his second consecutive victory in an Open Allowance event, this time going over 1,200 metres.

This latest win now gives the imported in utero gelding a good look in the Sprint Championships on Superstakes Day (November 14) and of course the Diamond Mile set to be run in early December.

“Campesino is a really nice horse with talent. He (Campesino) is coming into form at the right time. Let us see what the future holds,” Griffiths said.