Big scare for Derby-winning rider Jadoo

ROYAL Oak Derby winning jockey Ricardo Jadoo had a big scare in the previous race while riding Movietowne Magic. But it turned out to be the storm before the calm. While well in the lead astride Movietowne Magic in the hotly-contested Diamond Stakes Handicap, a hook on the bridle of  his mount came loose, leaving Jadoo without steering equipment. “We were travelling so fast I did not know what to do,” Jadoo said. “It was scary. I thought for a moment about jumping off, but when I remembered I had Top Of The Class in the next race, stayed in the saddle and hoped for the best,” the top rider recalled. And the best followed.

Jadoo, who at the beginning of the day had a one-win advantage over Wilmer Galviz in the race for jockey championship honours, completed a double as apart from the Derby, he landed Gaza Strip in the final race of the day to go three clear of his Venezuelan challenger. What followed Jadoo’s scary moment in the race prior to the Derby, was turned into history. His mount Top Of Tthe Class relishing  the fast ground at Santa Rosa Park on Republic Day, Wednesday, destroyed his rivals in the Royal Oak Derby to capture the Triple Crown, only the second horse to achieve the feat at the new centralised facility. The colt raced into an early lead and maintained a cheeky advantage for the first 1,200 metres.

Given his head on the backstretch by Jadoo with about 800 metres to run in the 2,000 metres event, the chestnut colt kicked on to turn the Group One event into a procession, beating stablemate Celebration Time by 13 lengths with Isle Be There a further 1 1/4 lengths in third and the Brian Harding ridden Due Dilligence 2 1/4 lengths in fourth. Due Dilligence was later disqualified for interference and placed fifth. And humiliating his three-year-old peers, Top Of The Class also wrote his name in the record books with  a new track and race record with his time of two minutes 05.48 seconds for the 2,000 metres trip, bettering the previous 2:06.03 recorded by Terremoto in the prestigious race in 1998, and the  2:06.01 course mark held jointly by Sian’s Gold and New Millenium. On his return to the winners’ enclosure Jadoo said, he never had a worry in the 2,000 metres classic.

“He (Top Of The Class) was never pressed and when asked to quicken he answered readily.” Asked to compare this year’s winner with New Millenium which gave him his first Derby victory in 2000, Jadoo replied instantly: “Top Of The Class is a notch above.” And Jadoo then expressed the thought that the record-breaking triple crown winner is still on the improve. “He’s is getting better with  time and will win the Champion Stakes.” Victory in the Royal Oak Derby was sweet all round. It gave Jadoo who piloted him to victories in the Easter Guineas and Midsummer Classic a first triple crown success, and it was worth $120,000 in stakes money to connections Rupert Leong Poi and Merlin Samlalsingh, and an added $250,000 bonus offered by CLICO for achieving the feat. Should Top Of The Class continue his rich vein of form and land the Champion Stakes on November 29, the son of Freshly Squeezed/Crescendo will add a further $750,000 offered by the insurance giants to his account. Victory by the chestnut colt, bred by Myrna Hadeed at the Poon Tip Stud Farm, Santa Cruz,  also brought joy to the hearts of trainer Glenn Mendez and groom Charles “Ben Ali’ Haley, who combined with Dale Whittaker to achieve the Triple Crown feat for the first time at racing headquarters, with the Wilma Primus-owned Carnival Messiah two years ago. Winning the Triple Crown a second time with Top Of The Class wrote Mendez’s name into the history books as the first ever trainer to accomplish the feat.