NO one can deny that great skill is required to safely manoeuvre through a crowd of 14 talented horses on the racetrack to finish on top in the US$115,000 Diamond Mile — then local racing’s most lucrative and prestigious race.

But jockey Dane Nelson made the task look effortless, guiding the brilliant She’s A Maneater to a near seven-length win in the one-mile (1,600m) event sponsored by the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), in tandem with Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL), at Caymanas Park last Saturday, December 2.

Ridden with confidence, She’s A Maneater settled mid-pack before Nelson asked her to quicken on the turn. She responded in devastating fashion, sweeping past her rivals in the stretch and drawing clear for a dominant victory.

She stopped the clock in 1:36.4, just two-fifths of a second off the Stakes record of 1:36.2 set by her stable companion
Seeking My Dream who won the first two editions of the Diamond Mile in the same time.

“My job as the pilot is to take my ride where there is safe passage and to manoeuvre without causing any interference, and so I have no fear of running into traffic.

“I had no fear of taking her [She’s A Maneater] towards the inside rails as that is my job — to take her where there is racing room. I just rode her according to how she was running. I just tried to keep her in a handy spot, and reaching the half-mile I just carried her down, and from then on I knew that she would blow the field away,” Nelson had told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide shortly after the race.

In truth, the ability of the jockey is always a huge factor. A rider with skill, intelligence, experience, and physical strength can often change the results of any race at any given time, and Nelson is one such individual.

A tough, experienced jockey can lead his horse on the shortest trip around the track and help him steal a win over the fastest horse. An intelligent jockey can assess the field, judge the pace, hold off on his charge until the last moment, and steal the victory at the wire.

“Entering any race, the question of being nervous does not arise as I have been riding since 2002. I have overcome that fear already, and so all that I had to do was to use the skills I developed over those years and put them to good use.

“Getting close to the Stakes record, I am pleased with her performance. She is a super horse who won most of the Classic races. Only the Jamaica Oaks she didn’t win, as she was injured.

“She won the Triple Crown and then the Superstakes, which is a great accomplishment, and now the Diamond Mile — a rare feat in the sport. And at age three, from here on she can only get better,” Nelson had said.

She’s A Maneater wasn’t the first to leave the starting gates at the off, but instead of rushing her down to find a striking position Nelson, who was riding her for the first time, held her up, holding her place on the inside rails for the first half of the race.

As expected, speedsters Talented Tony K and Sir Budget went at each other on the lead, with Money Magnet, Choo Choo Blue and Will In Charge their closest pursuers. At that time She’s A Maneater was some 12 lengths behind in eighth position.

Everyone thought that Nelson would have urged She’s A Maneater to get closer approaching the five-and-half-furlong (1,100m) point but he sat there and allowed two or three horses to go by him, thereby losing valuable ground to the leaders who were running like scared hares. But little did racing fans know that Nelson was waiting for an opening rather than to be trapped down on the inside rails.

Swinging into the half-mile (800m) and going towards the final bend, Nelson asked his mount to go. She’s A Maneater slowly began to round horses on the inside rails before Nelson switched her outside, going five wide on the turn. And with a clear run between horses in deep stretch She’s A Maneater powered home, winning convincingly in commanding fashion by six and a half lengths.

Bigbaddykool, Houdini’s Magic and Chace The Great followed the winner to the wire in that order.

“It is the most lucrative, the most prestigious, and the biggest race of the year so how do you expect me to feel? If I say I am happy I would be lying. I am more than happy…I feel like I am floating in the sky.

“It is a wonderful feeling and I am just happy that I have won the Diamond Mile. I thank the trainer, owner and everybody for their belief and support. She’s A Maneater is really a powerful horse,” Nelson declared.