EDMONTON, Alberta, CMC – Caribbean jockeys, led by Barbadian Desmond Bryan and Jamaican Dane Nelson, won all but two races on Sunday at the Century Mile racetrack in Canada.
Bryan kickstarted his season and led the way with a triple, reigning champion Nelson added a pair, and track newcomer Rasheed Hughes, another Barbadian, logged the other win on the eight-race card at the main racing facility in western Canada.
Nelson, a four-time Jamaica champion jockey, was the first in the frame when odds-on favorite Bootiful Rose won by 2-1/2 lengths in the CAN $14 500, claiming their second race over 1 100 meters on the dirt course.
Bootiful Rose quickly set the pace and responded to a looming threat from Mohaymen Day, under Barbadian jockey Kyle Carter, before Nelson edged the four-year-old chestnut filly clear and was kept on light handling to reach the wire in one minute, 05.05 seconds.
Bryan then proved his riding skills when the 26-1 rank long-shot Vantasticcanaveral won by a neck in the CAN $15 500, claiming the third race also over 1 100 meters on the dirt course.
Vantasticcanaveral had speed on the inside and responded to a challenge from Frostedbird under leading jockey Jose Asencio before the four-year-old chestnut gelding held on after a long, hard drive for a time of 1 min, 04.99 secs.
Hughes interjected to get his first win of the season with a comfortable 6-1/2 lengths win on the 9-1 chance Oops and Down in the CAN $25 000 maiden particular weight fourth race over 1 100 meters on the dirt course.
Oops and Down vied between the frontrunners for the early lead and gained it through the turn before the three-year-old bay filly drifted out wide through the stretch under firm handling from Hughes and drew away to clock 1:05.77.
Bryan followed up with a comfortable 9-1/4 lengths win aboard the 7-1 chance Bakfire Baby in the CAN $12 000, claiming the fifth race over five furlongs on the dirt course.
Bakfire Baby was quickest to the turn, and the six-year-old, dark bay mare drew away in the stretch for an easy victory in 59.39 secs.
Bryan again had to dig deep to collect his fourth win of the season astride the 16-1 rank outsider The Beat that won by half-length in the CAN $17 500, claiming his sixth race over 1 100 meters on the dirt course.
He sat The Beat mid-pack and rallied his mount outside Bare Back Jack, under Nelson, before the six-year-old bay gelding matched strides late and inched straightforward to finish in 1:05.45.
Nelson returned to land a two-length win on the 8-5 favorite Smash Factor in the CAN $12 000, claiming eight and final races over six furlongs on the dirt course that gave him his fourth success for the season.
Smash Factor chased the pace from the rail, moved up on the inside of Firecracker Stand, under Asencio, and gained the lead entering the stretch before the seven-year-old bay gelding drew away was kept to the task under light handling from Nelson to clock 1:12.76.
and then 