VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Former Trinidad & Tobago champion apprentice jockey Kimal Santo grabbed the spotlight when he notched a double on Monday’s at Hastings Racecourse in Canada.
Santo, the only apprentice to win the T&T Triple Crown, now has 23 wins for the season, which opened on April 30 and ends on Sunday, and he is fifth in the jockeys’ standing, led by Amadeo Perez with 91 wins.
Eight-time T&T champion jockey Brian Boodramsingh also landed a win on the 11-race card, and he is seventh on the chart with 18 for the season.
Santo kicked off the day’s racing with a 2-1/4 lengths win aboard the raging hot favourite Something Elusive in the CAN $11 000 claiming first race over 1 300 metres on the dirt track.
Something Elusive broke sharply and vied for the lead from along the rail entering the turn, set a pressured pace in the run down the backside before Santo shook the four-year-old, bay gelding clear of his pace rival entering the final turn and increased the advantage late to clock one minute, 17.10 seconds.
Santo returned to close out the day’s racing with a win by a neck astride the 7-1 chance Harlan’s Angel in the CAN $11 000 claiming seventh race over 1 300 metres on the dirt.
Harlan’s Angel broke sharply and tracked the leader into the backstretch before Santo rallied the seven-year-old, bay mare smartly three wide entering the final turn, and she closed willingly in the drive to get up in time to finish in 1 min, 17.19 secs.
In the CAN $12 500 previous race over 1 300 metres on the dirt, Booadramsingh grabbed a three quarters-of-a-length win on the 2-1 chance English Bay Teddy.
Boodramsingh put English Bay Teddy to stalk the leader into the backstretch after a sharp break before he rallied the three-year-old, chestnut gelding through the final turn and the animal closed willingly for a time of 1:17.54.
CMC