Ramsammy 4th in California

ARCADIA, California: Top Trinidad and Tobago jockey Emile Ramsammy began his stint in California with a cluster of rides at Santa Anita Park this past weekend. The 41-year-old Ramsammy, who will be riding at Santa Rosa Park in his native Trinidad tomorrow, mounted 14 horses over the three-day period — Friday to Sunday — and although he failed to ride a winner, secured rides in three stakes races on a busy weekend. His best results were fourth place finishes in two of the stakes races — the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes and the San Gabriel Stakes. In the US$125,000 Champion Stakes for two-year-olds, Ramsammy finished fourth by 7 1/2 lengths aboard the 15-1 Gilded Bertrando as the roan colt Don’tsellmeshort won by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Alex Solis.

Solis also rode the US$150,000 San Gabriel winner, guiding the 3-2 favourite Redattore to a two-length victory, with Ramsammy 4-3/4 lengths behind in fourth aboard 28-1 outsider French Polo. In the US$250,000 La Brea Stakes, Ramsammy placed seventh astride 95-1 outsider Bartok’s Blithe, as Island Fashion (9-1) scored by six lengths with Kent Desormeaux riding. During a two-year stint in California in 1998 and 1999, Ramsammy rode over 130 winners, and had his best meet at the 1999 Hollywood Park Spring season in which he placed fifth in the Jockeys’ Championship with 31 winners. Ramsammy, a former two-time champion jockey of Canada, was expected to travel to Port-of-Spain yesterday, to ride at an international Jockeys’ Championship in his native Trinidad and Tobago, before making the short trip to Barbados where he participates in the Patrick Husbands Day celebrations on Saturday.

Husbands is being honoured in his native Barbados for his outstanding achievements at Woodbine in Canada where he has won three jockeys’ titles and four Sovereign Awards as Canada’s most outstanding jockey. Ramsammy rode 123 winners to finish third in the Woodbine championship behind Canadian Todd Kabel (160) and Husbands (158). While the winter break is on in Canadian racing, Ramsammy is expected to ride in California while Husbands will be in Florida.