FOR practical purposes, as indicated in the last column, a decade-by-decade evaluation and rating of the performances will never achieve consensus for horses or jockeys, but history is important, and we turn now to review the nine and a half decades of the great jockeys since reliable records were established. It is important to point out that prior to Caymanas 1959, race meetings rarely exceeded 20 annually.

In 1938, Ernest Perkins (58) was the first to go on record, followed in 1939 by Charles Neath (28). I would imagine that these horsemen were hugely successful before the formal arrangements of race meetings at Knutsford and gymkhanas at Marlie, Old Harbour, as well. Both riders, of course, would have had their plethora of loyal fans similar to today, since nothing in that regard will ever change.

By 1940, the Jockey Club of Jamaica, under knowledgeable local administrators familiar with the century-old protocols of the Jockey Club in England as it relates to the conduct of the sport, ensured that a proper logging of the activities became standard practice each race day. Then, in 1972, the promulgation of the Jamaica Racing Commission normalized relationships with jurisdictions in the industry globally, with a department of statistics operational.

Reggie McKenzie won the title in 1940, 41 and 42 and his last was in 1945. Englishman William “Billy” Pick and Aston “Pin” Bent reigned in 43 and 44, respectively. Arthur “Daddy/Moneymus” Jones exploded out of the shadow of McKenzie in 1946. He did not relinquish the title until 1953, to Ransford “Spuggie” Holness, but reclaimed it in 1954.

Trevor “Didee” McKenzie. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

Carl Sewell’s only lien came in 1955 and gave way to Barrington Smith in 1956, who added 1957 and 58 to join the select band of reinsmen with three or more titles. Arthur Jones, after an absence of six years, was back on top in 1959 when the Caymanas facility came on stream. Horatio Nelson took the crown in 1960, and Jones reclaimed it in 1961 for his final reign.

The modern era was effectively launched in 1962 with Neville Cousley adding 1963 to become a two-time champion. Winston “Mero” Ellis burst onto the scene in 1964. For the remainder of the sixties, he, along with Trevor “Didee” McKenzie, showed themselves to be riders of exceptional ability. McKenzie dethroned Ellis in 1965 and defended the title in 66.

Ellis regained the title in 1967, but McKenzie was back ahead in 1968, with Ellis taking his third in 1969 to bring the most storied rivalry in history to a close, with both in the “three or more” category. Incidentally, McKenzie was an adopted son of former champion Reggie, who by then was a trainer. Interestingly, Jones won races as trainer riding his own horses, and upon retirement was eventually engaged as a patrol judge. Ellis’s son Shane became a top-class two-time titlist.

The era of the seventies started with an unlikely drama with Richard Depass and Panamanian migrant Jose Bravo sharing the 1970 honours with 53 winners each. However, DePass was back to defend it in 1971, but soon after migrated to enjoy a successful 1,322-win career in the United States and, after retirement, operates now as an agent for jockeys.

By 1972, midweek racing was introduced, increasing the calendar to over 75 race days, and it coincided with the emergence of the legendary George Hosang, who won his first title with 99 wins, with Winston Ellis’s 63 in 1967 being the previous best. Hosang followed up with 64 wins in the truncated 1973 season. In the middle of August, a strong gust of southerly wind literally raised the cantilever roof of the grandstand, rendering the infrastructure unsafe until cleared for the Boxing Day card of that year.

His record of 99 wins in 1972 improved to 167 in 1974 as Hosang established himself as the dominant force in the jockey colony. Following his title defence of the title in 1975 with 131 winners, he departed for Canada. There were multiple titles in his future in North America, and he called time on his career with 1,395 winners eventually.

The decade of the seventies saw the emergence of Depass and Hosang, but two more reinsmen with exceptional talent in the form of Charles “Bogleman” Hussey, 1976, 77, 98, and 2001 champion, and Winston “Fanna” Griffiths, with the 1978, 79, 80, 81, and 95 titles, set the stage for the golden generation of the eighties with Emelio “Bimbo” Rodriquez and Hubert “Chinna” Bartley, with Joseph Buchanan and Trevor Simpson taking their first titles in 1988 and 89, respectively.

The next three-and-a-half decades makes a fascinating study.

Watch this space and contact: wesmartin@horseracing.com