Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
VASTLY IMPROVED apprentice Kerry Perry upstaged leading jockeys Wesley Henry and Ramon Parish at Caymanas Park yesterday, thanks to a sparkling three-timer on the 11-race programme.
His winners were fleet-footed LEGIONAIR who made all at 5-2 in the second race over 1100 metres, MUTUAL AGREEMENT who romped the fifth at 6-1 and CARIBBEAN STORY at 9-2 in the closing $100,000 claiming race over 1500 metres.
Yesterday's triple, the second of his career, comes in the wake of his fabulous four-timer on March 31. No jockey at Caymanas Park has been riding more confidently than the pint-sized claiming apprentice in recent weeks. Even Perry has alluded to the fact he was "moving from F class straight to A1".
He thus pushed his season's tally to 16 - 15 behind long-time leader "Callaloo" Henry, who is only one ahead of title-chasing apprentice Parish.
The race between Henry and Parish is tightening with each passing raceday. Parish drew level with his arch-rival on 30 winners after winning the sixth race aboard 2-1 favourite SILVER WEDDING. But Henry hit back two races later with a determined ride aboard 4-1 chance LADY CHATURA, beating Parish on the favourite FULLY DECORATED after they were engaged in a neck-and-neck duel throughout most of the straight.
They came face to face again in a speed duel involving the highly fancied 2-1 shots LOVER'S CHOICE (Parish up) and CALL TO ARMS (Henry astride) in the ninth race, the Craven 'A' feature over the circular nine course. But LOVER'S CHOICE succumbed to a hurried ride and was decisively beaten by 8-1 chance RAJMIR who ran on strongly in the latter stages to win by 2 1/2 lengths.
Rank outsider SIR RAMNATH GUPTA gave the gate attendants no end of problems and was declared a late non-starter.
Ridden by Devon A. Thomas, RAJMIR is owned by Michael S. Wint and trained by Owen Dawes. The six-year-old bay gelding by Try Some out of the Secret Man mare Nina chalked up his second win from four starts this season and yesterday avenged his March 14 defeat by LOVER'S CHOICE over 1700 metres.
Later in the afternoon, howling favourite COMING WEST (Henry up) failed to hit the board in the 10th race (Starter Handicap & Overnight Allowance II) over 1400 metres, finishing down the field after leading under pressure from ZEEDON into the straight.
Victory went to the consistent DELAY OF GAME (5-1) who ran on strongly under apprentice Rudolph Paige to win in a driving finish from ZEEDON (13-1) and fast finishing topweight SHE'S SO LOVELY (5-1).
All in all it was a bad day for COMING WEST's owner Laurence Heffes, especially after he was hit with the news that his two-time 'Horse of the Year' BLUMENTHAL died from a colic infection on a farm in Ocala, Florida, yesterday morning. BLUMENTHAL was 'Horse of the Year ' in 1998 and 1999.
