FRENCH-BORN jockey Julien Leparoux guided Rough Entry to a spectacular victory in the rich Mouttet Mile, with its purse of US$150,000, at Caymanas Park on Saturday.

Trained by Rohan Crichton and based at Gulfstream Park in the United States, Rough Entry dominated the race, finishing over eight lengths ahead in an impressive time of 1:38.0 minutes and with splits of 23.0, 45.0, and 1:10.0. Ability, ridden by Jordan Barrett, secured the second position while Mamma Mia, guided by Omar Walker, claimed third.

Rough Entry strategically trailed early leader Mamma Mia before Leparoux urged the horse into the lead during the home stretch, securing a comfortable victory.

“I came to Jamaica specifically for this race and it feels fantastic to come out on top,” stated Leparoux. “The people here embraced me, and all the jockeys and valet treated me very nicely. It’s a great feeling to win the big race here,” he added.

Although concerned about the distance, Leparoux praised his horse’s speed and shared his strategic approach during the race.

“My horse broke well because he’s very fast, but the distance was a bit of a concern for me. I wanted to save a bit of horse, sit off the pace, and when I asked him to go, he really kicked on,” he explained.

With this win Leparoux celebrated his second victory of the day, having earlier triumphed aboard Captain Calico in the ninth event. Trained by former champion Anthony “Baba” Nunes, Captain Calico clocked a time of 1:26.2.

This marked Leparoux’s first visit to Jamaica, and he expressed his delight at winning two races.

“It feels great to win two races because the fans are fantastic and I really enjoyed every moment at this track. I definitely want to come back, if it fits into my schedule, because the track is great and the weather is wonderful out here,” he said.

Jockey Tevin Foster stole the spotlight on Mouttet Mile day, securing a triple win. Foster’s victories came aboard Grecian Light in the third event, Premier Identity in the sixth race, and Rainsville in the seventh event.

Another standout performer was jockey Raddesh Roman who clinched two wins on the 11-race card. Roman’s victories came with Real Boss in the second event and Secret Admiral in the eighth race.