SEVEN HORSES CLAIMED ON SATURDAY

Seven horses were claimed on the 11-race programme at Caymanas Park on Saturday, July 7, 2018.

Winston Morris claimed Cruising Motion for owner K & M Racing Stables from Leroy Tomlinson; Anthony Ferguson claimed Jolly D for owner Ewart Brown from Conroy Tulloch; Howard Jaghai claimed Mr Lyndhurst for owner Willie’s Racing Stables from Steven Todd; and Tyrone Prince claimed Zugulu for owner Michael Wray from Marlon Anderson from the fifth race. All these mentioned claims were made at $350,000.

In the sixth race Little Big Horn was claimed from Norman Rose by Leroy Tomlinson for owner Pink Alaina at $550,000.

In the 11th and final event on a $180,000 claiming tag, Ray Phillips claimed Ray Ray from Ryan Darby for owner Mercurial, while Ryan Williams claimed Princess Brianna from Nicholas Smith for owner George Edwards.

STRAIGHT RACES GALORE

There were a total 21 races run over the Saturday/Sunday weekend; 11 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Of those 21 races nine were run over the straight course, ranging from two furlongs to five furlongs. To highlight this strange occurrence of having nine out of 21 races coming down the straight on two consecutivesrace days, the first five races on Saturday were competed for over the straight.

The only possible reason why the Racing Office would have decided to run so many races over the straight must be to save gas money, as the tractor carrying the starting gates did not have to move very far.

ANTHONY THOMAS INCREASES LEAD

At the back-end of last season apprentice Anthony Thomas hit a purple patch, as race day after race day he was bringing home — winners and a lot of them as well. With that momentum going the young rider’s way, it came as no surprise that the St Mary native would be challenging for the jockey’s championship this racing season. Thomas entered Saturday’s race meet on 50 winners — 14 ahead of closest rival Shane Ellis and with just over five months to go on the racing calendar. On the 11-race programme Thomas rode two winners – Lightning Lily and Heat It Up –— the standing. Ellis was winless on the day. Thomas has now 52 winners, which is 16 wins ahead of Ellis (36 winners) in the title race. In third place lies Dick Cardenas on 33 victories, after also booting home two winners ( Peyton’s Delight and Axle Rod). Apprentices Linton Steadman and Oneil Scott are next locked on 25 winners each.

RARE VISIT TO THE WINNERS’ ENCLOSURE FOR SADIKI BLAKE

You see him at the racetrack regularly, but he has not been riding a lot. Jockey Sadiki Blake rode his first winner in well over a year when he piloted the Conroy Tulloch-trained Jolly D to an easy two-and-three-quart-length victory over Diferentgeneration (Ruja Lahoe) and Cruising Motion (Oneil Scott) going five furlongs (1,000m) straight. Let’s hope that the young man will continue on the same path.

WARD, BERGER CONTINUE TO BRING HOME THE WINNERS

Mellisa Ward and Natalie Berger continued to make the presence of the female riders known when they both booted home a winner apiece on the 11-race programme at Caymanas Park on Saturday. Ward opened the programme aboard the Ryan Williams-trained Pythagoras Theorem in a maiden special weight event for native-bred four-year-olds and upward over four furlongs (800m) straight. Pythagoras Theorem got all the angles right, making one move to win by five and a half lengths over Classy Vishala (Phillip Parchment) and Rundazzle (Omar Walker) in a time of 47.4.

Berger followed up in the very next race when she won atop Beast going two furlongs (400m). The Borris McIntosh-trained Beast also made one move to win by half-length ahead of Camouflage (Oneil Beckford) and Song On Track (Leo Miller), in a time of 24.1.