WINNIPEG, Manitoba, CMC – Caribbean jockeys, led by championship leader Prayven Badrie of Trinidad & Tobago and Barbadian apprentice Rachaad Knights, again swept all before them on Wednesday’s mid-week race card at the Assiniboia Downs racetrack in Canada.
Barrie won another two races and now has 14 wins under his belt for the season – which opened on May 20 and ends on September 17 – to fortify his hold on first place in the jockeys’ championship at the central Canadian racing facility.
Knights also won two races and now has six for the season. He is in a two-way tie for fifth with established compatriot Renaldo Cumberbatch, a winner on the seven-race card, and fellow Barbadians Damario Bynoe and Dario Dalrymple.
Badrie guided the odds-on favorite Screenplay to a win by 1-1/2 lengths in the CAN $10 300, claiming the fourth race over 1 100 meters on the dirt course, featuring three-year-olds and upward that have never won four races.
Screenplay dueled three wide before Badrie got the six-year-old bay gelding to shake clear of rivals with 100 meters remaining and extend to finish in one minute, 06.20 seconds.
Badrie then steered the odds-on favorite Lt Norm to a win by 1-1/4 lengths in the CAN $18 000 allowance fifth race over seven furlongs on the dirt, featuring three-year-olds and upward that have never won two races.
Lt Norm was put in a stalking position by Badrie to force the pace from the inside, and the three-year-old bay gelding took over on the outside with about 200m remaining and drew away for a time of 1 min, 28.13 secs.
Knights had opened the day’s card when he drove the 6-1 chance Wickedblackbullet to win by 2-1/2 lengths in the CAN $20 000 maiden particular weight first race for maidens, three years old and upward, over 1 100m on the dirt course.
The young Barbadian reinsman put Wickedblackbullet to press the pace on the outside early and stalked the dueling front-runners from the inside on the turn before he got the four-year-old bay gelding through on the inside, and the mount took over late, extended, and clocked 1:06.18.
Knights also made it into the winners’ circle when he piloted the 5-1 chance Magnificent Mario to win by three quarters-of-a-length in the CAN $18 000 allowance sixth race over 1 100m on the dirt for three-year-olds and upward that have never won two races.
He put Magnificent Mario to stalk the dueling front-runners four wide and rallied the five-year-old bay gelding to take over in the middle of the final straight to run to the wire in a time of 1:06.12.
Bynoe – second in the standings – grabbed his 10th win of the season with a commanding, seven-length win aboard the odds-on favorite Kate’s Princess in a time of 1:04.91 in the CAN $14 800 claiming second race for fillies and mares three years and upward, running 1 100m on the dirt.
Cumberbatch rode 3-5 favorite Cajun Berti to win by 3-1/2 lengths in a time of one minute flat in the CAN $10 000, claiming the third race over five furlongs on the dirt for three-year-olds and upward that have not won a race since December 12 last year.
And Dalrymple got his first win of the season with a half-length win astride the 6-1 bet Mister K in a time of 1:27.28 in the CAN $16 500 allowance claiming optional final race over seven furlongs on the dirt for three-year-olds and upward that have not won a race other than a maiden, claiming, starter or restricted, or never won three races.
and then 