Ramsammy wakes ‘em up at Woodbine

TORONTO: Trinidadian jockey Emile Ramsammy had his best day in the saddle in more than a year when he captured the Vigil Stakes among five winners at Woodbine on Saturday.

Ramsammy guided horse of the year Wake At Noon to a smart win in the Can$164,000 Vigil, adding to victories in the first, ninth, 10th and 11th races at Canada’s premier race track. The effort swept Ramsammy to the top of the jockeys’ standings with 15 wins, two ahead of Todd Kabel (13) with Barbadian Patrick Husbands, the reigning champion jockey, lying third on 12 wins. Husbands had one winner and Barbadian trainer Ronald Burke had another, as Caribbean racing men secured seven wins on the 11-race card.

After a disappointing fourth-place finish in his seasonal debut, the six-year-old Wake At Noon came alive in Saturday’s Vigil Stakes. Wake At Noon was involved in an early four-wide tussle with Forever Grand, Krz Ruckus and Davids Expectation through a first quarter mile in 22.15 seconds. But it did not take long for him to gain the lead, and he eventually pulled away to win by 3-1/4 lengths over late charging rivals Shaws Creek (25-1) and Husbands’ mount Cheap Talk (4-1). The time of the seven-furlong race was one minute 23.25 seconds. “He’s a champion and he has a lot to live up to. It’s really an honour to ride a nice horse like this,” said Ramsammy, a two-time Canadian champion jockey.

In 38 career starts, Wake At Noon has 17 wins, including 11 stakes scores, and Can$1.36 million in lifetime earnings. Ramsammy had kicked off the programme with a narrow 1/2-length win aboard H Que (7-2) over Flowers on the Wall (Husbands) in the first, and after his Vigil win, he rode three consecutive upset winners. He pushed Tempered Appeal (15-1) to a 4-3/4 length win in the ninth, landed the 10th by 1-3/4 lengths with Sultry Fluff (13-1), and closed the card with a 2-1/4 length triumph astride 10-1 chance Sweet Carson. A career winner of over 1,200 races and Can$40 million in purse earnings, Ramsammy last accomplished the incredible five-win feat on November 24, 2001, also while riding at Woodbine.

Trainer Burke had Trinidad and Tobago-born jockey Richard Dos Ramos aboard his three-year-old colt Mr Tickety Boo, who won the second race as the 6-5 favourite. And Husbands scored his win in the fourth race aboard hot 2-5 favourite Angel’s Sweep, winning by 1-3/4 lengths over Tracy’s Tonka, who was ridden by his older brother Simon Husbands. Current jockeys’ standings: 1. Emile Ramsammy 15 wins; 2. Todd Kabel 13; 3. Patrick Husbands 12; 4. James McAleney, Dino Luciani 10; 6. Chantal Sutherland 9; 7. Constant Montpellier, Steven Ronald Bahen 8; 9. Robert Landry, David Clark 7.