On a day when the contest for the 2024 jockeys’ championship continued to be a significant talking point, the results of half a dozen of the nine would leave the likely outcome on a knife’s edge. The chief protagonists, Raddesh “Sneaky Fox” Roman and “Terrific” Tevin Foster, started the day on 127 and 124 wins, respectively. Naturally the supremely confident Roman fan club had a basis on which to flaunt their bragging rights but were quite unprepared for the results pending.

In the opener, run at five-and-a-half furlongs, Foster found Warsaw (8-5), saddled by former three-time titlist Anthony Nunes, an easy ride as the three-year-old colt won from in front by over nine lengths with a $1.0-million claiming tag which was accepted by trainer Raymond Townsend. In race two Foster then followed up by driving Paul Hylton’s 9-5 bet, Musketoon, to a two-length margin at the end of the six-furlong gallop to secure the natural double.

Roman’s response came in race three in which, at the end of the five furlongs round run,
Military Light(3-2), declared by Gary Griffiths, was a nose better than Lady Sarsutta to send the Sneaky Fox fan club into ecstasy. However, the delirium was short-lived as Foster found a third success with 3-1 bet Burning Valor, scoring by a length for owner/trainer Greg Fennell over the eight furlongs of race four.

At the end of race five over four furlongs of the straight course, Roger Hewitt, in partnering trainer Junior Panton’s Givemethelight (5-2) for a six and-half furlongs romp, intervened before the 2024 jockeys’ championship battle resumed in race six. Another scare for the“Sneaky Fox” supporters emerged with Foster closing a four-timer aboard two-year-old debutant Social Aviator (7-2), declared by conditioner Gary Subratie for the five furlongs round sixth event.

Race seven, run over six furlongs, brought a fitting climax to the day’s championship war. It was Roman who delivered some relief for his fans as he brought Patrick Lynch’s
J Speith (6-5) to execute a successful late challenge to deny Foster’s attempt to make all on favourite Smart Trick. J Speith won by a neck, with Roman exploiting a narrow gap on the rails which Foster, inside the last furlong, tried to deny dangerously. The operation stewards inquired, interviewed both riders and the official report is pending.

Race eight, the featured Christopher “Chris” Armond Memorial Trophy, was won by Peter-John Parsard’s 4-1 backed Bootylicious, who held a convincing lead throughout to best 4-5 favourite Desert Of Malibu (USA) and even-money-backed Pack Plays (USA). Bootylicious scored by a half a length and was guided by lightweight reinsman Ismael Velasquez partnering his second of two mounts on his first day of riding locally.

The competitive closing event was won by 12-1 bet Veliki Vicki ridden by Samantha Fletcher for owner/trainer Ricardo Brown. Three of the 12 starters, Big Jule (4th),
Curlin’s Flight (3rd), and Traditional Lady (2nd) either led or shared the lead inside the last furlong. However, it was Fletcher’s mount, from off the early pace and taking the widest route, that prevailed by three parts of a length close to home.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Peter-John Parsard for the performance of
Bootylicious, as the filly executed the Best Winning Gallop, with Ismael Velasquez credited with the Jockeyship Award jointly with Samantha Fletcher for performance on Veliki Vicki.

Between the regulatory Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) and the promoting Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited, and as of yet, no information on the nationality and performance record of Valasquez has been made available. Local racing is an amateur operation at worst or semi-professional at best; therefore, owning racehorses is only pretending to be a business as trainer Gary Griffiths explained comprehensively in his recent Quick Gallop interview conducted by Ian Burnett.

In the sporting tradition of the game, the owners and trainers must be encouraged to work with the cohort of local riders available. The JRC should suspend the issuing of permits to riders from more affluent jurisdictions until full professional status is confirmed in the local industry. Race riding is not a scarce skill that requires the sidelining of local talent.