Harding sews up riding title

The Arima Race Club’s “Friday Lime” cards are proving to be a major success when measured both by crowds in attendance and betting at the windows.

The latest, held two day’s ago, saw support similar to what usually attend races on the traditional  Saturdays. Punters gathered as early as the first event on the eight-race card despite the rain and overcast conditions later on in the afternoon. What was pleasing also was that favourites failed to oblige after scoring in  the first and second events, and had to wait on the curtain event before another registered. Their failure of the fancied runners to dominate saw punters with winning combinations being rewarded with rich dividends. Arima Race Club, president Gerard Ferreira could not throw light on the final figure taken through the windows  but assumed it was good based on the crowd in attendance.

Ferreira promised to hold more “limes” next year and said he was looking to have at least one every quarter. “The first will be held before the Carnival season,” he said. “It will be the most appropiate time to get started since  a lot of foreigners will be in our midst and it is the time of the year when most locals choose to return home,” he said. Mutola scored cheekily in the opener and Balthazar enjoying the sloppy ground conditions gave leading jockeys Brian Harding an early “double.” The win moved Harding’s tally to 48, six clear of nearest rival Ricardo Jadoo, who piloted only one winner on Friday.

With two days of the current season remaining, the early “double” seems to secure the riding championship for Harding, who missed an early part of the season plying his trade at Caymanas Park in Jamaica. Soca Tempo, racing in the colours of Maniram Maharaj for the second time since he was claimed on November 1, scored a mild upset under Lorne Keizer. Then, Redoubled with Wilmer Galvid aboard, forced Rajpaul Rajkumar to show off his riding skills on Mir On Fire, the pair holding on by a short-head in the 1,000 metres contest.

A poor front-running ride by Venezuela jockey Carlos Marquez on The Chairman had punters fretting. Ridden from the gate without being given a breather, the son of Native Idol/Queen N’Chacon cried out up the straight, which saw Winning Trick, Peace Of Mind and Desert Rose sweeping past in that order. The winner, pilotted by Rodjidan Ramirez paid $48.50 for a win, and was quickly followed by another outsider, Dealer’s Choice in the sixth ($45.80), and Morgan Heritage, who made almost every yard of the running to bank the Sneakers Pimps Allowance feature. He rewarded his backers with $75.40 on a win ticket, and $13.30 to place. You’ve Got Mail, who has shown marked improvement since coming under the care of Glenn Mendez, gave his backers no scare scoring a third for favourites. The win has also sealed the championship for his trainer, who has 39 wins and six clear of Maniram Maharaj with two days of the season left.