Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
FORMER CHAMPION jockeys Trevor Simpson and Charles Hussey moved to the brink of milestones at Caymanas Park yesterday when they rode two winners each on the 12-race programme.
Simpson, already assured of a third jockey's title, won aboard 9-5 favourite RISING STAR in the fourth race for maiden two-year-olds and 4-5 favourite CLASSIC ACCOUNT in the seventh race for the Solomon Ziadie Memorial Cup over 1500 metres to move to 165 winners.
As a result, he needs only three more to break George HoSang's 1974 all-time record for most winners in a season.
Simpson, who will have a glorious opportunity to do so on Wednesday, thanks to six live rides on the 11-race programme, has a date with the Stewards at the Jamaica Racing Commission on Tuesday, having been summoned to face them following the disqualification of what should have been his 162nd winner, BLACK THATCH, in the first race last Wednesday.
Simpson could be slapped with a three-day ban for careless riding but with six race days remaining before the season ends, he has ample time to break HoSang's record which has stood for 28 years. Better still, he could just finish the job on Wednesday.
Hussey, meanwhile, booted home two winners in FROMRUSSIAWITHLOVE, an even money favourite in the first race, and unbeaten juvenile A KING IS BORN in the day's feature, the Jamaica Turf Club 2-Y-O Stakes for the Jean B. Armond Trophy, this over 1400 metres.
Hussey, who rode successfully abroad between 1978 and 1985, moved to 999 winners locally and is just a whisker away from joining a select band of jockeys who have ridden 1,000 winners locally - Winston Griffiths, Emilio Rodriquez and Andrew Ramgeet.
The outgoing champion narrowly missed a third win aboard 9-5 chance ROYAL DEPUTY, the chestnut gelding beaten in a driving finish by Simpson's mount RISING STAR in the two-year-old race.
Hussey, however, suffered interference when his mount was bumped into by RISING STAR when the space tightened between horses coming out of the home turn. There was an owner's objection against the winner but the Stewards allowed the result to stand.
Meanwhile, the Philip Feanny-trained A KING IS BORN made all convincingly to win the $750,000 Jamaica Turf Club 2-Y-O Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths from Simpson's mount JACK THE PRINCE (6-1) to be unbeaten in five starts.
Owned by Hamark Farms and bred by Ken Gooden, the classy chestnut colt by Royal Minister out of the 1990 Derby winner Distinctly Native will now be prepared for the $2 million Jamaica Lottery Company-sponsored 2-Y-O Stakes over a mile on Boxing Day when he will come face to face with his unbeaten stable companion THE VICE.
A KING IS BORN was one of five favourites to score on the card which produced one notable upset in POLISH STAR at 21-1 in the second race over 1,100 metres.
Ridden by in-form Larris Allen for trainer Errol Subratie, POLISH STAR produced a strong run in the last furlong to win in a blanket finish from BUCKEISHA (8-1) and GUARDIAN ANGEL (6-1).
