Bowen, Dacosta continue to shine, but Simpson disqualified
CLEVELAND, Ohio (CMC) — Caribbean horsemen combined to land three wins on Tuesday’s eight-race card at the Thistledown racetrack in the United States, but one of them lost out in the stewards’ room.
Barbadian jockey Rocco Bowen and Jamaican trainer Jason Dacosta got to keep their wins, but Jamaican jockey Jason Simpson was not so fortunate after they disqualified his mount and placed it second.
Bowen, 35, logged his 13th win for the season — which opened on April 22 and closes on October 10 — and remained fifth behind leader Luis Rivera and in a two-way tie for second – based on wins – with Fernando Salazar Becerra.
He drove the 3-1 choice Villain
to victory by 21/2 lengths in the US$35,800 allowance sixth race contested over six furlongs on the dirt course.
Villain was never far back, and Bowen rallied his mount four wide through the turn to take the lead at the quarter pole, and the three-year-old bay gelding set the pace for the remainder of the trip and drew off late under a strong hand ride to finish in one minute, 12.26 seconds.
Dacosta had earlier saddled Shewearsmyring, ridden by Becerra, which won one length clear in the US$29,700 allowance second race over one mile on the dirt course for his third win on successive race days.
Becerra put Shewearsmyring to stalk the pace while saving ground along the rail, and the four-year-old dark bay filly responded under his right-handed urging in the deep stretch and prevailed for a time of 1 minute, 40.66 seconds.
Dacosta also prepared the odds-on bet Lightning Lottie which won by half-length, under Becerra, in the US $20,800 claiming fourth race over 1,100 metres on the dirt course the previous day, and 2-1 chance Lady Lottie which won by a head under the same jockey in the US$29,700 allowance seventh race over six furlongs on the dirt course.
The Jamaican trainer, son of perennial Jamaica champion trainer Wayne Dacosta, took his tally of wins for the season to five, and he is eighth in the standings — six behind the leader Jeffrey Radosevich.
Simpson was aboard 3-1 chance Mo Snow which won by a neck in the US$11,300 maiden claiming fourth race over 1,100 metres on the dirt course.
After the race, Erik Barbaran, the jockey astride runner-up
Jimmy Junga, lodged a claim of foul against Simpson for interference deep in the stretch after
Mo Snow bumped his mount; the stewards issued the disqualification after reviewing video footage.
now pushed his tally of wins to 56 for the season. Raddesh Roman is second in the standings with 45 wins, while Robert Halledeen is third on 29, followed by reigning champion Reyan Lewis (18) and Francis (12).
Get A Pepsi, with birthday boy Paul Francis in the saddle, won the feature Labour Day Trophy over seven furlongs. Going off at odds at 7-2, Get A Pepsi disputed the early lead with the favourite Thalita before being sent in front by Francis, leaving the furlong pole to offer a strong challenge to the fast-finishing
Sistren Treasure with Omar Walker in the saddle.
Get A Pepsi, who was Francis’s second win on the card, won by one-anda-quarter lengths. Francis’s other winner was Phoenix Risen in the seventh event.