WINNIPEG, Manitoba, CMC – Barbadian Antonio Whitehall extended his lead in the Assiniboia Downs jockeys championship when he rode a double – including the capture of the CAN$40 500 Hazel Wright Stakes – at the western Canada oval here Tuesday.
Paired with Mechanic Susie in the feature race four, Whitehall guided the 2-1 bet to a narrow victory by a head over the three-year-old fillies, out-dueling favorite Russian Pearl to reach the wire in a time of one minute, 12:36 seconds.
Whitehall added race six to his day’s tally, combining with 4-1 choice Gray Admiral to get the better of the three-year-olds and upward by 1-½ lengths.
His double success took him to 24 wins for the season, now five clear of Jorge Carreno, with Barbadian Damario Bynoe back in third on 16 wins.
As expected, the spotlight fell on the feature. In a six-furlong sprint, 12-1 chance Cuss’n Cat, with veteran Barbadian Renaldo Cumberbatch aboard, made the early running with fractions of 22.58 seconds for the quarter and 45.36 for the half mile.
Whitehall then brought Mechanic Susie from a stalking position to catch the leader at the eighth pole and was then forced to stave off a strong challenge from Russian Pearl before getting home.
Whitehall’s second win came over a mile, producing a hard-working gate-to-wire effort with the eight-year-old roan gelding Gray Admiral to dominate the $16 500 optional claiming.
There was a string of other Caribbean wins on the seven-race card.
Barbadian Shavon Belle captured race one over 7-½ furlongs with 4-1 bet Double Time, Jamaican Chavion Chow won race two over six furlongs with favorite Thatsalotofbling while Trinidadian Stanley Chadee got 2-1 bet Lab Rat to the wire first in race four over 7-½ furlongs.
Another Trinidadian, 24-year-old apprentice Sven Balroop, tasted success in the day’s finale over six furlongs with 9-1 outsider Whiterose Spirit.
and then 