Whitehall displays stunning form

WINNIPEG, Canada – A photo finish was all that stood between Barbadian jockey Antonio Whitehall and winning all six races at Assiniboia Downs yesterday.

In an astonishing display at the western Canada racetrack, the 26-year-old captured race one with 2-1 chance Hilda before taking the feature $25 000 Chantilly Stakes in race two with 16-1 outsider Kickalittlebooty.

He missed out by a nose in race three to Jamaican Neville Stephenson when he came up short with favourite Terri’s Temper but resumed his winning ways in race four aboard Witts Lucky Shoes.

Whitehall then won race five by a neck with 6-1 chance Empirical Data before dominating race six with favourite More Mo For Me.

With the success, Whitehall stormed to 17 wins from 64 rides, five clear of Rafael Zenteno Jr in second with Stephenson four back in third.

The 2018 champion who narrowly finished second last season, Whitehall laid the groundwork for his domination of the programme when he paired with seven-year-old bay mare Hilda to trounce the three-year-old and and upward fillies and mares by three lengths.

Going seven furlongs, Hilda duelled with favourite Simply Fablus through the early going before pulling away at the sixteenth pole to easily control the stretch run.

Aboard bay filly Kickalittlebooty in the day’s feature, Whitehall took the longshot to the wire by 1-¾ lengths in a six-furlong sprint for three-year-old fillies.

In the 40th running of the Chantilly, two-to-one bet Someone Else led for most of the way until Whitehall brought Kickalittlebooty from a stalking position to take over late.

Whitehall logged his third win in race four, combining with three-year-old bay gelding Witts Lucky Shoes to make all the running and collar the three-year-olds and upward by half-length in a five furlong sprint.

In a 5-½ furlong sprint for the three-year-olds and upward in race five, Whitehall forced the pace with four-year-old bay gelding Empirical Data before pulling ahead of pace-setter Perfect Line and edging fast-finishing Norm’s Place by a neck at the wire.

Whitehall then capped a near perfect day in the saddle in another 5-½ furlong dash, bringing four-year-old bay filly More Mo For Me from a stalking position to beat the three-year-olds and upward by 2-¼ lengths.

The Assiniboia Downs season is being run off behind closed doors amid the public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. (CMC)