Mairs goes top at Assiniboia after weekend triple
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA (CMC):
JAMAICAN JOCKEY Richard Mairs logged an impressive triple at the weekend to overtake Alex Cruz at the top of the standings and create a tense finish to the season at Assiniboia Downs.
Riding on Saturday’s seven-race card, Mairs never made it to the winners’ enclosure until race four, when he scored with 3-1 chance TWISTED SENSATION, but then won two of the last three races with success aboard 8-1 bet MIZZENHOWER in race five and 16-1 long-shot Courageous in the day’s final race.
Mairs is now two clear of Cruz on 36, with Barbadian Antonio Whitehall in third on 33 and another Jamaican, Chavion Chow, fourth on 27.
After finishing one from last in his only previous ride of the day in race one, Mairs came to the fore in a six-furlong sprint when he partnered three-year-old filly Twisted Sensation to a narrow victory by a head over the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares.
JF MONEYGIRL and CRACKLIN THUNDER produced the splits before TWISTED SENSATION swept into contention in the stretch, dueled with CRACKLIN THUNDER and got by late.
WINNING RUN
Mairs followed up immediately, carrying the fouryear-old chestnut filly MIZZENHOWER to a 2-1/2 length trouncing of the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares over 5-1/2 furlongs.
Gracie Belle opened up a near six-length lead but Mairs chased with MIZZENHOWER, hit the front at the sixteenth pole and stormed to the finish.
Mairs then brought the curtain down on the programme by combining with three-year-old bay gelding COURAGEOUS to get the better of the three-year-olds and upward by 1-1/2 lengths.
Going a mile, COURAGEOUS stalked as Double Time and Draymagic disputed lead through the half run in 48.40 seconds, before Draymagic, Flinch and Cash Pilot continued the battle.
Mairs brought Courageous with an outside run in the stretch to engage the leaders before drawing off.
The season wraps up September 8.