TORONTO, Canada, CMC – Barbadian jockey Rico Walcott ended his wait for an added-money win at Woodbine when he brought 6-1 chance Kaukokaipuu with a late storming run to capture the feature CAN$125 Queenston Stakes here Sunday.
Boxed in along the rails for most of the seven-furlong trip, Walcott found an opening mid-stretch and unleashed a turn of pace with the gray colt to reel in the leaders and hit the wire 1-¼ lengths clear in a time of one minute, 22.61 seconds.
Walcott’s first stakes win at the celebrated southern Ontario oval also handed fellow Barbadian trainer Tedston Holder his maiden added-money success in his fourth attempt.
“It feels perfect to get started and get going here,” said Walcott in his first-ever campaign at Woodbine after dominating the Alberta circuit for nearly a decade.
“I just want to get a chance to get a break so I can ride. I do my best and try hard for everybody I ride for. I will keep doing it until the season is over.”
Up against the three-year-olds in race eight, Kaukokaipuu contested the early pace before 8-1 bet Paramount Prince, under legendary Barbadian Patrick Husbands and 8-1 choice Poulin in O T, ridden by Eswan Flores, set the pace through fractions of 22.57 seconds and 45.65.
Long shot Hey Cue stalked, with a 3-1 chance One Bay Hemingway and 33-1 bet Keen Flatter also threatening.
Kaukokaipuu entered the stretch fifth without racing room, but Walcott steered the colt through a seam that opened up, overhauling the dueling Paramount Prince and Poulin in O T to get home first.
“I [left] the gates not bad, but Patrick’s horse left pretty sharp too, and he was right next to me,” explained Walcott.
“The horse approached the rail, so I was behind him. I was boxed in, and I had to wait and wait and wait until the head of the lane, and there was still nowhere to go when I straightened up.
“Halfway down the stretch, I pulled out, and he kicked on again, and I kept riding him to the pole.”
The win was only Walcott’s fourth in 31 starts since the new Woodbine season got underway on April 22.
Holder, meanwhile, paid tribute to former Barbadian jockey-turned-trainer Ricky Griffith while praising Kaukokaipuu’s recent maturity.
“I would like to dedicate this race to Ricky Griffith, who has paved the way for us to be here,” said Holder.
He continued: “[Kaukokaipuu] had a good winter. We stopped on him at the end of September and early October and got him down to Florida, so he had a perfect winter. He matured a lot and grew.”
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