Cumberbatch leads Caribbean clean sweep at Assiniboai Downs

Caribbean jockeys, led by Renaldo Cumberbatch of Barbados and Ronald Ali of Trinidad & Tobago, swept all the races on Monday at the Assiniboia Downs racetrack in Canada.

Both Cumberbatch and Ali logged double wins on the seven-race programme, while 2022 Jamaican champion jockey, Dane Dawkins and compatriot Neville Stephenson, as well as defending champion, Antonio Whitehall also posted wins.

Ali moved his aggregate to four for the one-week-old season – which opened on May 20 and closes on September 17 – and he leads the standings.

He got into the frame with a half-length win aboard the 3-1 bet Side Street Dave in the CAN $14 800 claiming second race over seven furlongs on the dirt course.

Ali returned to win by 1-1/2 lengths astride the 5-1 choice Run for Joy in the CAN $10 100 claiming fifth race over five furlongs on the dirt course.

Cumberbatch got his first win of the season when he opened the day’s racing by steering the 9-1 chance Finalise to a 1-3/4 lengths in the CAN $13 600 claiming first race over five furlongs on the dirt course.

Finalise forced the pace on the inside and took a short lead in the middle of the final turn before Cumberbatch got the five-year-old, dark bay gelding to extend in the final straight and hold well to finish in 1:00.52.

Cumberbatch returned to drive the odds-on favourite Big Investment, trained by Barbadian Devon Gittens, to a three quarters-of-a-length win in the CAN $10 300 claiming sixth race over five furlongs on the dirt course.

Big Investment had inside speed under early pressure and extended into the final turn, and the four-year-old, bay colt had a good lead in the stretch and was kept to task to record a time of 59.92.

Meanwhile, Stephenson got his first win of the season on the 4-1 chance Driving that won by 1-3/4 lengths in the CAN $10 000 maiden claiming third race over five furlongs on the dirt course in a time of 1:01.69.

Dawkins also got his first win of the season on the odds-on favourite Offley Special – trained by Barbadian Steven Gaskin – that won by 3-3/4 lengths in the CAN $20 000 maiden special weight fourth race over five furlongs on the dirt course in a time of 1:01.35.

Whitehall too, recorded his first win of the season on the 7-1 chance Mechanic Susie in the CAN $18 000 allowance seventh race over five furlongs on the dirt course in a time of 1:00.15.

(CMC)