Walcott repeats

CALGARY, Canada – Barbadian Rico Walcott retained his Century Downs riding title in dramatic fashion yesterday, when he reeled off a triple on the season-ending 11-race card, to edge Venezuelan Rigo Sarmiento.

Rico Walcott overcomes brain tumour to repeat as champion.

Entering the final day 18 wins – one behind leader Sarmiento – the 29-year-old Walcott captured race one with favourite Awesome Hit, race three with another favourite Bear Fabulous Son before taking race seven – the CAN$50 000 CTHS Sales Stakes – with 7-1 choice Weekend Wizard.

Sarmiento had a ride in every race on the card but managed only a single win – in the day’s final race – aboard 23-1 outsider Respect the Shot.

Walcott, who successfully underwent surgery last March to remove a brain tumor, finished on 21 wins from 78 rides while Sarmiento ended one behind from 94 outings.

Another Venezuelan, Wilmer Galviz, finished third on 15 while Jamaican Dane Nelson ended fourth on 14 wins.

Trinidadian Prayven Badrie stole some of the headlines when he won the day’s feature $100 000 Canadian Juvenile Stakes for two-year-olds with 8-1 chance Rail Hugger.

In a furious three-horse scramble to the wire, the bay colt edged out Galviz’s Greek Geek and Walcott’s Dune d’Oro by a nose, to win in a time of one minute, 31:31 seconds.

However, the day belonged to the irrepressible Walcott who made his return to racing mid-way through the inaugural meet at Century Mile in July.

He found success in the opener when he combined with five-year-old bay gelding Awesome Hit to beat the three-year-old and upward maidens by a nose going 6-½ furlongs.

Walcott stalked pacesetter Peytons Prince with Sarmiento aboard before snatching the lead at the top of the stretch, and then holding off the fast-finishing longshot Maria’s Magic.

The multiple-time Northlands Park champion then conjured up a clinical ride aboard nine-year-old roan gelding Bear Fabulous Son to dispose of the three-year-olds and upward over a mile and sixteenth.

Logan’s Leopard posted the early fractions before Walcott brought Bear Fabulous Son from a tracking position to duel with the leader at the top of the stretch, before gaining command in the lane and romp home by 1-¾ lengths.

His third win came over seven furlongs in the co-feature when he guided four-year-old chestnut gelding Weekend Wizard to a three-quarter length, front-running victory.

On Saturday, Walcott also rode three winners including the feature CAN$100 000 Freedom of the City Stakes.

Meanwhile, Badrie’s success in the Canadian Juvenile came as part of a brace as he also won race four over 6-½ furlongs with 6-1 bet Danica, bringing the three-year-old bay filly from off the pace to beat the three-year-old and upward maiden fillies and mares.

Veteran Barbadian jockey Desmond Bryan also ended the season strongly with a brace on the card, scoring with favourite Outrigger in race two over six furlongs and with another favourite Midnight Shake in race 10 over 6-½ furlongs.

Meanwhile, Barbadian Patrick Husbands extended his excellent form with a meet-leading 18th added-money win when he paired with favourite Chapalu to capture the feature CAN$125 000 Grey Stakes at Woodbine yesterday.

Patrick Husbands winning on Chapalu. (Picture by Michael Burns)

Going off at 8-5 odds in a mile and sixteenth trip, Husbands made virtually all the running with the Arnaud Delacour-trained bay colt to collar the two-year-olds by half-length in a time of one minute, 44:50 seconds.

Three-to-one choice Muskoka Gold ran a close second following a strong stretch charge while 13-1 outsider Lookinatamiracle came flying to end third.

“I watched the last two races and last time he was a little bit rank in the first turn, and he relaxed throughout the rest of the race,” said Husbands.

“Coming into this race today, I was on the outside and I just wanted to give him an easy trip and he left there (gates) aggressive.”

Torres Del Paine broke sharply to race to the front but Husbands sent Chapalu in pursuit and caught their rival before the first turn to lay down fractions of 24:45 seconds for the quarter and 48:17 for the half mile.

Inside Risk chased from third while Green Growth stalked from fourth, with the remainder of the field off the pace down the backstretch.

Chapalu opened up a near three-length lead and came off the final turn with the advantage intact to remain the one to beat in the stretch. Torres Del Paine faded in the final sixteenth as Muskoka Gold and Lookinatamiracle produced late bids, but Chapalu held well at the wire.

“He was doing it so easy. When I got going in the first turn and he gave me his ears, I knew he wasn’t going too fast,” Husbands recalled.

“And then by the five-eighths pole, his ears were still pricked so I knew he wasn’t going too fast. Then by the three-quarter pole, his ears were still pricked and I said, ‘You know what? He’s the real deal.’”

Husbands, a seven-time Woodbine champion, is fifth on 67 wins and earnings of $3.2 million in the eighth-month campaign which wraps up on December 15.