CLEVELAND, Ohio, CMC – Barbadian Rocco Bowen took sole ownership of second in the jockeys’ standings on Thursday at the Thistledown racetrack in the United States.
The 35-year-old logged a double win on the eight-race card. It carried his tally to 15 for the season – which opened on April 22 and closed on October 10 – and put him five behind current leader Luis Rivera and two in front of third Fernando Salazar Becerra.
Bowen got into the frame aboard the 1-5 favorite, Rainbow’s Pride, and won by 1-1/4 lengths in the U.S. $31 400 allowance fourth race over six furlongs on the dirt course.
Rainbow’s Pride had speed from the start three wide, made the lead midway on the turn, and moved inside before the runner-up headed the four-year-old, dark bay gelding, Mr Bourna under Luiz Gonzalez, at the top of the stretch.
But Bowen got Rainbow’s Pride to fight back gamely under a hand ride to regain command in the deep stretch and edged clear to finish in one minute, 10.60 seconds – only 2.20 secs off the track record.
Bowen got his second win astride the 17-1 outsider, Napa Dude, who won by a head in the U.S. $14,000, claiming his sixth race over one mile on the dirt course.
The race was a nail-biter as Napa Dude, the 17-1 outsider, trailed into the far turn and swung out to the middle of the racetrack entering the stretch. The four-year-old, dark bay gelding closed rapidly while lugging in, was well handled and angled inside the drifting leader late. In a thrilling finish, Napa Dude got up in the final strides to clock 1 min, 41.28 secs, securing Rocco Bowen’s second win.
and then 