THE training of horses for thoroughbred racing at Caymanas Park has been traditionally male-dominated with very few exceptions.

Racing fans will always remember the great Eileen Cliggott, an English woman who posted in excess of 300 winners over a 25-year period. Cliggott, in addition, to training horses managed a stud farm and was responsible for training and grooming of a number of top-notch riders including Donovan ‘Bug’ Lindo and Karl Brown.

Cliggott’s prominent place in racing history is further guaranteed as she has won some of the game’s most prestigious races including one Derby winner (Rumpelstiltskin – 1965), three St Leger winners (Rumpelstiltskin – 1965, Charlotte Russe – 1970 and Predude – 1962).

Then there were Emma Chen who has now retired and Beverley Rhoden who has also retired. Currently Margret Parchment, another English woman, is the only female remaining in the business of training horses.

Chen saddled 115 winners with earnings of approximately $2,148,671. Rhoden managed 12 winners that yielded earnings of $57,415, while Parchment has so far saddled 41 winners with earnings of $2,695,365 and still going strong in the business.

Now there are several women who are in the process of emulating their predecessors by working as assistant trainers. One of those is Kibbeisha Little, who belies her surname with a strong and assertive physical presence and an enduring will to become certified as a trainer.

For Little, who is the assistant to Patrick Lynch, her current job of an assistant trainer is a mere stepping stone to fulfilling her dream of becoming a trainer of race horses.

“I came into the racing industry with the intention of becoming a trainer. I have a passion for the sport from I was a child growing up in the Gregory Park community. I know that this is a man’s game and it will take a lot of hard work and dedication, but I love the challenge as I am a determined individual who is willing to do the extra work if I want to succeed,” she said.

As she explained: “One day I told my spouse (Douglas Badaloo), who is a jockey and currently riding overseas, that I wanted to be a part of the racing fraternity so I was going to work with him as an agent. But things were not working out as I expected. It was then that trainer Enos Brown approached me and asked if I wanted to be his assistant due to the dedication he saw that I had for the sport.

“Well things were slow at Brown’s barn as he had a small string of horses and there was not enough to do. My opportunity came when trainer Patrick Lynch saw the potential in me and made me an offer which I took and now I am a well-focused assistant trainer,” the 24-year-old Little told the Complete Racing Guide.

As an assistant trainer, which is the trainer’s right- hand man, Little’s job is to be in charge of the stables and staff, their training, discipline and recruitment. She plans the horses’ training schedules in the trainer’s absence and represents him at the races, saddling, dealing with owners, and passing on instructions to the jockeys.

“Lynch has taught me many things, in fact, everything there is to know about training race horses. Whenever he is on any other engagement, he would lay out a plan that I must fulfil in his absence and he doesn’t have to worry because he knows very well that he can depend on me to get the job done,” she explained.

Little, who graduated from Cumberland High School, said that she has no regrets choosing a profession in the racing industry.

“I was going to do a practical nursing course after I left Cumberland but I changed course and came into racing instead. I guess that racing is just in the blood. My grandmother sells at the Park, my father (Delroy Little) and uncle (Ryan Little) are also engaged in racing. Everything turned out good and everyone has been good to me and I am not sorry that I made the change and so I have no regrets.

“I thank everyone for their support but special thanks must be given to Enos Brown, who gave me the first opportunity and to Patrick Lynch, who has taken me under his wings so I can develop into a better person and professional. I thank him for his guidance and continuous support and encouragement,” Little concluded.