Oneil Beckford became the 12th apprentice to win a race since the new batch of riders started their careers on September 26 last year, when he steered Sojourner Truth to victory in the eighth race at Caymanas Park on Wednesday.

“It is a very good feeling right now knowing that I just won my first race. I have been working really hard of late and I am just happy that I was able to pull off that first win. I must thank the connections for giving me the ride and I hope that this win can bring more victories,” the 26-year-old told The Complete Racing Guide.

The Paul Hylton-trained Sojourner Truth skipped away from the field in the last furlong to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths over Pearl Appeal and Cantare in the $180,000 claiming event over 1,000 metres straight.

The race lost some of its competitiveness when that ante-post favourite Bars Of Gold was announced a late non-starter.

“I rode this horse off the trainer’s instructions and that was the key behind the victory. The trainer told me to get a good break, stay with the pack and ask him to run the last two furlongs of the race and that was exactly what I did,” Beckford said.