By Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
BIG BELLY SAM, ridden by Christopher Fearon, cruising home by a wide margin from HE AIN'T HEAVY (Dane Nelson) in the ninth race over the straight five course, confined to conditional $140,000 at Caymanas Park on Saturday. Installed a 3-5 favourite, BIG BELLY SAM is owned by Barrington Chin and trained by Wilfred Chin. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
BETTING ON the Pick-9 and Super-6 reached a frenzy at the back-to-back holiday meets last weekend with Boxing Day possibly setting a record insofar as exotic bets are concerned.
The large holiday crowd included many overseas-based Jamaicans home for the holidays. Some spared no expenses to ensure that they enjoyed themselves to the 'max' in the company of friends. And others dropped a small fortune at the betting windows.
An old friend of mine who was visiting Jamaica from Atlanta for the first time in 10 years made such a killing at the track on Saturday that he is planning to extend his stay in order to facilitate the New Year's Day meet. He caught two pieces of the Super-6 to end up with a cool $48,000, not to mention several attractive superfectas.
The fact that "his friend" tipped eight winners on the card surely helped his cause.
SMART APPRENTICE
Returning champion jockey Trevor Simpson rode two winners on Saturday to finish the season on 112, 48 clear of his closest rival, the smart apprentice Paul Francis who did exceptionally well in this his first full season of race riding.
Francis out-rode Shane Ellis (59) in the closing weeks for second place but in fairness to Ellis, his opponents had a jump start on him. The 2000 champion jockey rode at Woodbine in Canada during the first half of the year before returning home.
Unnoticed to many punters on Friday was the fact that Simpson marked his 900th career win locally aboard hot favourite EXOTIC LINKS in the fifth race.
If he continues to ride full time in Jamaica next year, the man who rode a record 171 winners in 2002 should become the fifth jockey in the annals of local racing to achieve 1000 winners, behind Winston Griffiths, Emilio Rodriquez, Andrew Ramgeet and Charles Hussey.
Simpson duly won the last feature race of the season for the Paul Newman Memorial Trophy aboard 2-1 second favourite EMPERADOR for trainer Richie Todd, one of the unlikely but notable success stories of 2003.
Ridden in typical "Slicer" fashion in the early pace, EMPERADOR chased the early leader MY PAL DON from soon after the start before easing into the lead 600 metres out.
Turning for home clear and with a bit in hand, EMPERADOR responded nicely when ridden in earnest to beat MY PAL DON by all of 7-1/2 lengths.
Running on lasix for the first time, the even-money favourite PROCEEDACCORDINGLY disappointed his many backers (outpaced) to finish a poor fourth and leaves one to wonder if this is a rare case where the application of lasix has had an opposite effect on the performance of a horse.
Apprentice Oneil Mullings, who has been riding in tremendous form lately, also rode two winners on Saturday to finish fourth in the standings with over 50 winners and his progress will be watched keenly next year.
Mullings brought the curtain down on the year's activity with a decisive win aboard the grey THAT'S GOLD (5-2) in the closing straight five race, ending the season on a high note for the successful young trainer Ryan Darby.
Darby, from all indications looks "ready fi bus" as they say in the music business. This second generation (son of former claiming king Robert Darby Snr.) has the pedigree and the application to go far.
