Canadian jockey gives $$ to Lady Hochoy Home

CANADA’S No. 10 jockey Dino Luciani, who will ride at this year’s Boxing Day racing extravaganza at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, will donate all earnings from mounts and winnings to the Lady Hochoy Home.

Sushilla Lalsingh said Luciani, who will be representing Woodbine Race Course at the “big” Boxing Day programme, said he spontaneously volunteered to make the donation. Luciani will have five mounts on Boxing Day, including rides on Skippy’s Dream in the Guardian Life St Ann’s Stakes for two-year-old fillies, and Second chances in the Guardian Life St James Stakes for colts and geldings, the two co-features on the day.  He will also be astride Reign Of Fire, Balthazar and Never Ever Worrie.

Lalsingh whose mother Rita was a founding member of the home, along with Lady Hochoy, said after reading about the fire which destroyed the laundry section, “I could not think of a more deserving place for Dino to make his donation.” She said she immediately contacted Betting Levy Board chairman Roop Chan Chadeesingh who expressed delight at the idea, and later telephoned Sr Bertille dean of the home from Canada, to tell her the good news.

Only recently, Luciani and Donald, Lalsingh’s brother who was a day student at the Lady Hochoy Home, and who is a Special Olympics Athlete, representing Mississauga and Ontario in five-pin bowling, had taken some photographs together. Lalsingh, who helped arrange Trinidad Day at Woodbine recently, said she planned to visit Trinidad for the meeting, but was having difficulty getting a flight back to Canada.