TRINIDAD and Tobago’s Emile Abraham rode like a man possessed yesterday to convincingly win the fourth stage of the Tobago International Cycling Classic and snatch the overall lead heading into today’s final stanza. It is the first time in several years that the defending champion holds the advantage going into the gruelling Tour of Tobago and is expected to get a stiff challenge from his Toshiba teammate Eric Murphy, one of the best climbers in the business. Yesterday Abraham left the pack in the first lap of the Vita Malt seven-lap 150 lap circuit event and was never headed. He won in two hours, 55 minutes and 49.31 seconds with Murphy second in 2.58.32:41.

Third was another Toshiba cyclist, Hugh Moran followed by Canadian rider Joe Giuliano in fourth, Harold Bergerof Austria, fifth, and Jason Sager of the Toshiba team, sixth. All three were credited with the same time —- 3.01.33:59. Overall Abraham, Trinidad and Tobago’s national road race champion heads the pack in 6.31.10:81 with Murphy a close second (6.31.11:29) and Moran (6.34.49:50) in third. Fourth is Giuliano (6.3-4.53:87) with Berger (6.3-5.53:61) fifth and Sager (6.36.57:63) sixth. Yesterday Robert Camps, a former national road race champion and Race Director said the final stage promises to be very exciting with the race still wide open.

“When you look at the overall results, four minutes separate the first five riders. Emile looks very good but will have to watch Murphy who is an excellent climber,” said Camps yesterday. “Today Emile rode with a plan knowing fully well he had to make up ground and he left the bunch early and was never headed. In the final lap he was leading by four minutes but this was cut by Murphy to one and a half minutes. But in the final five miles Emile could not be stopped,” Camps said. Today’s stage is a gruelling 120-km Tour of Tobago starting at 8 am at Crown Point. It will be steep climbs on mountainous terrain with Category One, Two and Three climbs.

LEADERS CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh will be eyeing their 15th win in the 2003 season of the T&T Pro League when they meet the struggling “Eastern Lions” Joe Public at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo today from 4 pm. Jabloteh hold a commanding eight-point lead atop the standings, and will be favoured to win against the seventh-placed Joe Public squad.  W Connection will play Defence Force at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella,North East Stars play South Starworld Strikers at Sangre Grande Recreation Ground. Also at 4 pm, Caledonia AIA oppose Arima Fire at the Larry Gomes Stadium while at 5 pm SWIF meet Tobago United at the Palo Seco Recreation Grounds.

WITH the clock ticking away toward Wednesday’s Royal Oak Derby Day, trainers were concentrating on putting their horses through their final paces. And while the majority of  the 136 runners on the 10-race card have completed their preparations and are enjoying a cooling off period, some trainers late on putting  in finishing touches over the two previous days chose to have their horses breeze over short distances. Kalyan, who matched strides with Diamond Stakes entrant Miss Lover Lover earlier in the week,  came back on Thursday to again show her blinding speed. Galloping from the top of the straight, the Edmund De Freitas-trained filly ate through the ground to clock 22.95 seconds for the 400 metres run,  to be best on time for the distance.

Champagne Wager has not done anything of note in his races since his arrival, but the American-bred four-year-old which raced at Penn National, sent out a  signal that he has come to hand by clocking the fastest time over 600 metres  on the same morning. With the unraced Lit D’Armour for company, the Glenn Mendez inmates flew over the distance in 34.57 seconds. Skippy’s Dream was another show some toes, after showing a good attitude while schooling. This filly galloped out of  the boxes along with Entertainer, and the Stephen Jardim-trained Nursery Stakes hopeful held  her own against her older companion in posting 36.18 seconds between the 1200 and 600 metre markers. Beautiful Mind, who withdrew from the Royal Oak Derby after he failed to be a factor in the Sagicor Life Saver II Handicap won by Undisputed, enjoyed reverting to what he knows best, sprinting The speed merchant holding an engagement in the 12-horse Angostura 1919 Rum event over 1200 metres on Republic Day, streched out over 800 metres in an impressive 48.17 seconds.

And stablemate Sweet Tempo who just managed to get on the tins after she failed in derby prep against older horses came out soon after and did just as good. The bay filly, who like the triple crown seeking Top Of The Class, is owned in partnership by Rupert Leong Poi and Merlin Samlalsingh, showed promise of giving a good account of herself in the Wednesday’s spotlight event, clocking 1:02.01 seconds over 1000  metres in her final let down gallop. Yesterday, runners in Blue Riband classic came out only to do light work. But while they were placed on easy street, the “babes” engaged in the Nursery Stakes were seen sharpening up for the 1200 metres sprint. Trainer Maniram “Boboy” Maharaj’s trio of Sunday Jewel, Melanie My Love and Java Takeover showed they were all ready by galloping over the last 400 metres of the course in 23;30 seconds. Another juvenile entrant Jay Low, who hails from champion trainer John O’Brien’s barn, had a comfortable spin over the same trip in 24.52 seconds in company with Speedfuhso. Lady Rossie, a clever winner last time out, showed she has kept her form well when the Terrence Bates-trained filly had an impressive solo run over 600 metres in 35.21 seconds.

Following are the gallops recorded yesterday: 400 METRES: Melanie My Love, Sunday Jewel and Java Takeover – 23.30, good; You’ve Got Mail and J D’s Express – 25.34, handily; Phantom Bidder – 27.77, pacing; Speedfuhso and Jay Low – 24.53; good; Mir On Fire – 26.78, handily; Yaa Asantewaa – 29.39, handily; French Academy – 28.98, pacing; Alamanamou and Sou Sou Moni – 29.17, pacing; Under Influence – 29.92, pacing; Toronto Star – 25.15, handily. Upset All – 26.75, handily; Salsa Moves – 29.93, pacing; Cheerleader – 25.45, handily; Cornerstone – 28.99, pacing; Bandinthong – 27.49, handily; Man Of Class – 29.92, pacing; Duke’s Jason – 25.36, handily.

600 METRES: Sweet Dreams – 36.87, good; Lady Rossie – 35.21, good; Supreme Dancer – 36.50, good; Iron Will – 44.02, pacing; Trying Something – 38.25, handily; Winning Trick – 42.92, pacing. Punto A Punto – 40.60, easy; Travel Agent – 41.98, pacing; Lady Croft – 42.40, pacing. Sea Spider – 44.90, pacing; Morgan Heritage – 41.12, handily; Bite De Bullet – 44.95, pacing; Serah’s Trick – 38.16, handily; Jattahyu – 39.80, handily; Due Dilligence – 40.53, handily; Bonus Point – 42.24, pacing; Pattie’s No Angel – 44.98, pacing; Never Ever Worrie and Lantern Lady – 37.80, handily.

800 METRES: Sunny – 49.20 good; Pure Delight – 51.00, good; Kent’s Delight – 59.08, pacing; Golde Conveyor – 58.39, pacing; Erin Dancer – 54.12, handily; Fortaleza – 52.89, handily. Fabulous Risk and New Star – 57.77, pacing; Regent Boy – 55.35, easy; Maid Of Honour – 55.41, handily; Lovely Pearl – 57.33, pacing; Smooth Operator – 59.84, pacing; Hollywood Star – 57.27, pacing.

1000 METRES: In Swinger – 1:08.84, handily; Tricky Guy – 1:05.00, handily; Hatrick – 1:09.40, handily.

1200 METRES: Van Nistelrooy – 1:23.27, pacing.     
Here are Friday’s gallops: 400 METRES: Kalyan – 22.95, good; Miss Emma – 24.95, good; Mandela – 22.95, good; Van Nistelrooy – 28.43, pacing; Jay Low – 26.98, handily; Speedfuhso – 27.27, handily; Indian Decision – 27.38, handily; Due Dilligence – 29.92, pacing; Java In Flight – 29.73, pacing. 

600 METRES: Champagne Wager and Lit D’Amour – 34.57, good; Skippy’s Dream and Entertainer – 36.18, good (Boxes); Digital Alarm – 41.01, handily; Yaa Asantewaa – 42.23, pacing; Bandinthong – 42.23, pacing; Sunny – 44.98, pacing; Principle – 38.35, handily; Mayaro Breeze – 43.73, pacing; Loud Music – 40.31, handily; J D’s Express – 44.97, pacing; Indian trouble – 39.42, handily. 

800 METRES: Beautiful Mind – 48.17, good; Isle Be There – 58.84, pacing; Maid Of Honour – 59.56, pacing; Top Of The Class – 56.84, pacing; Guardian Angel – 52.96, handily; Hollywood Star – 54.67, easy.

1000 METRES: Sweet Tempo – 1:02.01, good; Jena’s Delight – 1:08.06, handily; Duchess Alicia – 1:12.55, pacing.

Barbadian horses Sweet Dreams, Ginger Bay and Royal Red are among 15 entries for the Trinidad and Tobago Derby on Wednesday at Santa Rosa Park. Sweet Dreams, who won the Barbados Midsummer Classic in July, has former TT champion jockey Rajpaul Rajkumar slated to ride, while Ginger Bay has Barbadian Jamar Maughn up, and Barbadian Andy Trotman will take Royal Red to the post.

The 2,000-metre event carries a purse of TT$200,000 (US$32,520). The race favourite is the triple crown-seeking Top of the Class, with Ricky Jadoo riding. Other fancied entries include Due Dilligence (Brian Harding) and Undisputed (Nobel Abrego). Reigning Barbados champion jockey, Jamaica-born Ricardo Hibbert, has also secured a ride in the event, Van Nistelrooy. Hibbert won the Barbados Derby last year aboard Oba Dove.

How well do you follow the sport news? Ten minutes after you have switched off the latest news, how much of it can you remember? Do you know where your Sports and Culture Fund money is?  Is your memory for trivial sports news voracious? If you went on a Sports News Quiz programme, would you get the answers right, or would you say, like most cricketers, “Well, Dancing Brave, I would rather you had asked me about the story about the state of cricket”? Now is the chance to test yourself!  Here are somenews stories from the last 10 days. Which of them are true and which are false? On your marks, get set.

1. A man in Jackville, Warnerhill, was prosecuted on the very unusual charge of conspiring to entice others to trespass. He was engaged in a vendetta against his next-door neighbour, and devised the unusual plan of annoying him by tying a set of inflated party balloons to his neighbour’s gate.
Everyone assumed that there was a party going on and enough gatecrashers arrived to make the man’s life a nuisance all afternoon, so that he never had a chance to complete his meetings with the government over some football venues.
By the time the man discovered the balloons on his gate outside, he had to deal with over 30 uninvited guests, who wanted to spend up to quarter  of his profits from his ventures. He therefore sued his neighbour on the rare charge of enticing to trespass.
2. The lighthouse at the Arima Race Track in Santa Rosa, which is being moved a short distance, is not being transported for safety reasons or to avoid erosion. The fact is that the Arima Race Club have recently hired a feng shui consultant who has decided that the lighthouse was built in a most unpropitious situation, facing slightly the wrong way, and inviting evil influences from the bookmakers.
The lighthouse is not being taken to another site —- it is in fact being revolved a little so that it faces a luckier direction instead, towards the south.
3. Police were called to a hot Sports Snacks’ n ‘Sandwich bar in a lay-by in Maraval where more than 60 cars were parked and at least 100 people were queuing for service. A little unrest had broken out, with people throwing water over each other.
Police were curious to know why there was such a demand for food and drink. It turned out that the sports bar had recently been awarded a licence for celebrating marriages, and one of their regular Trini Posse drivers had elected to get married there.
The long queue was the wedding reception and the unrest and horseplay with water were an attempt to sober up the best man in time for his speech. The fact that Brian Charles Lara was present was only a coincidence.
4. The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) have discovered a sports-shoes factory run by the National Amateur Athletic Association (NAAA) busy manufacturing shoes that were not designed to be used.
They were only going to be handed over for decommissioning purposes, so that the NAAA could hang on to their real weapons of distress, the athletes who they select every year to waste taxpayers’ money.
5. Anxious to reclaim the $750,000 from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)  owed to the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB). The TTCB have been having secret talks with the present incumbents in Jamaica to see if they can use the same mechanism on the executive of the WICB.
Their talks are being kept very hush-hush because the TTCBC do not want it to seem as if they are trying to get the president sent into cricketing exile. On the other hand, TTCB would dearly love to get some of their due money, because, as one executive puts  it, the TTCB can think of several sporting bodies in the region that are a better credit risk than the old bat’s team.
They are also looking at the possibility of getting some of the Trinidad funds that were extradited to Jamaica and Barbados in error, returned.
 6. Athletes seldom make news during the winter, for the simple reason that athletes are not generally competing during the winter and it is hard to make records in non-existent races. However, athletecerealogists were called out in great excitement last week to a field in the middle of Tunapuna where astounding symmetrical athletic patterns had been spotted in the bare earth, a series of mostly straight, but sometimes wavy lines in very tight parallels, suggesting great agility and mobility. While they were examining the sporting phenomenon, the farmer who owned the field came past that way and informed them somewhat curtly that a) they were trespassing, and b) the patterns were due to the fact that he had ploughed the field the day before.
Did you spot that, in fact, all of the stories were fake, except for the one that was about the netball official and the seven redheaded dwarfs? Please visit www. cornelis — associaties.com for the best website management and change management.

BRIDGETOWN:  World-rated Iva Weston impressively dismissed Crystal Lessey in a unanimous points win on an all-Trinidad and Tobago women’s boxing card at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium on Friday night. Weston overcame a near 30-pound weight advantage Lessey had on her, and — using her superior skill and speed — did not lose a single round. The moderately attended fight card was the final show for veteran Barbadian boxing promoter Eric Sealy. Preparing for a November 29 shot at the Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) Youth title, the 145-pound Weston outclassed the heavier and stronger but less skilled Lessey (174 pounds) to win the four-round contest 40-36 on all the judges’ cards. Weston often switched to a southpaw (left-handed) stance and Lessey was unable to properly measure her offence.

“My coach trains me to fight on two sides so it will be difficult for the girls to figure me out,” Weston told CMC Sport. Weston, flustered for brief moments by her opponent’s strength and holding tactics, delighted the spectators with her display, especially a rapid sequence of accurate left jabs in the third round that rocked Lessey. “She was way heavier than me but I know the training that we get from our coach is very good. I am prepared for this,” added Weston, who is the number one contender for the WIBA’s youth welterweight title. The talented lightweight Giselle Martin defeated Donalee Andrews on a close unanimous points decision, and light heavyweight Arisha Logie comfortably beat Adafi Hills on points. In other bouts on the card, flyweight Leann Boodram stopped Avolan Ollivierre in the first round, and McKanna Asson won her junior featherweight contest with Kessey Lessey on a unanimous points decision.