By Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer PERCY HUSSEY came good at Caymanas Park on Saturday, the second generation trainer posting three winners on the well supported 10-race programme to improve significantly in the standings.
His winners were EASTERN LIGHT at 3-1 in the second, TO SIR WITH LOVE a 4-5 favourite in the third and 5-2 favourite DOUBLE BUCK in the sixth race over the straight five curse.
As a result, Hussey has improved into third behind returning champion Wayne DaCosta and Richard Todd with $1.1 million in the standings.
Meanwhile, former champion jockey Shane Ellis who has publicly stated that he'll be going all out for the title this year, came up empty handed on the programme, despite having secured eight rides.
On the previous Saturday, Ellis rode only one winner (Jack De Freak) from five rides as the apprentice jockeys, led by Oneil Mullings with a triple, dominated that programme.
Mind you, any jockey can experience a lean spell. But to go through a bad patch this early in the season, especially with your arch rival (Trevor Simpson) sitting out day two of a seven-day suspension, is not the stuff of which champions are made.
Mullings, meanwhile rode one winner in 7-2 chance PHYSICS BOOK in the seventh race over 1200 metres, but had to summon all the skills at his disposal to win in a driving finish from the even-money favourite ROSY CAT with senior jockey Clive Lynch aboard.
Both horses were locked in a stirring stretch duel before PHYSICS BOOK, though missing the break as usual, got home by a neck.
With this victory, Mullings has joined the suspended Simpson at the top of the jockeys standings with six winners, closely followed by fellow apprentice Dane Nelson with five, thanks to two winners in RUCKUS and 15-1 outsider DANCING BEAUTY.
Nelson missed a third when 4-5 favourite DUBAI EXPRESS was narrowly beaten by INSTRUMENTHAL in the fifth.
Mullings will be out of action this Saturday and the next owing to a two-day suspension for careless riding aboard SIR GEE on December 27.
Still, the in-form rider is happy, not because he's out for two days, but for the fact it could have been worse. He was originally slapped with a five-day suspension for careless riding aboard JACK'S CHILD on the same day, but that suspension was set aside by the Racing Commission following a successful appeal against the decision of the Operations Stewards to impose the ban.
I caught up with Mullings on Saturday and he had this to say:
"I'm happy that I appealed the suspension and things went in my favour. Any jockey can tell you, the worse thing that can happen when you are riding in good form is a long suspension.
"You lose momentum when you come back and this was what I was afraid of. Two days is not really bad, but with no mid-week racing scheduled until the middle of next month, I will be out of action until February 7", he moaned.
The 27-year-old jockey said he will try to remain focused by working horses and stepping up his fitness programme by jogging and gym work during the break.
"I have to be in good physical condition to ride winners on a consistent basis", he declared.
Perfect Ten recovering
PERFECT TEN, who made waves as a two-year-old last season, underwent a successful operation at Caymanas Park recently and will miss the 3-y-o classic campaign as a result.
The operation became necessary when PERFECT TEN sustained a slab fracture to her right knee in the Jamaica Turf Club 2-Y-O Stakes behind DISTINCTLY IRISH on December 6.
Despite this, the bay filly by Natural Selection out of the Gentleman Jinsky mare Match-less Lass finished third in the 1400-metre race.
Jerry Johnson, a visiting vet from the United States, carried out the operation, assisted by Dr. Cliff Bradford. According to the filly's owner Laurence Heffes, a screw was inserted in her right knee.
Heffes, a former champion owner and current president of the Jamaica Racehorse Owners Association, said it will take PERFECT TEN some time to recover and as such, her participation in the season's first classic, the Track Price Plus 1000 Guineas in April and also the Oaks, is out of the question.
The operation took place at the stables of Percy Hussey due to a lack of facilities for such an operation at the track, a situation of which Heffes was highly critical.
Trained by Patrick Fong, PERFECT TEN stamped herself as perhaps the best native bred two-year-old filly last season by virtue of winning three races from six starts and over $1.55 million in stakes.
Her most important success came on November 8 when she produced a terrific late burst to win the $1.5 million Red Stripe 2-Y-O Breeders Stakes over 1400 metres by a nose from HEART-OFAMAVERICK, this after suffering grave interference a furlong out.
She was ridden by visiting American jockey DeShawn Parker.
O.C.
Hall Of Fame nominations invited
THE JAMAICA Racing Commission (JRC), through the Trustees of the Hall of Fame of Thoroughbred Racing in Jamaica, is inviting nominations for seven categories in the 2004 'Hall of Fame' awards to be announced in early June.
After the disappointment of no awards being made last year owing to lack of sponsorship for the annual Pre-Derby/Hall of Fame banquet, the JRC will as usual invite nominations for the following categories: Horses, Stallions, Broodmares, Trainers, Jockeys, Grooms and Other Racing Personalities.
To be eligible, candidates must have either retired from racing or have served racing in Jamaica for over 25 years.
NOT ELIGIBLE
Horses in active training or currently at stud are not eligible. There being no awards last year, nominations received then will be brought forward. Nominations with a brief history of each candidate should be addressed to the General Manager, Jamaica Racing Commission, 8 Winchester Road, P.O. Box 309, Kingston 10 not later than March 31.
When the function was last held in 2002, those induced to the 'Hall of Fame' were jockey Winston Griffiths O.D., trainer Philip Feanny O.D., groom Vincent Blackwood, the 1996 'Horse of the Year War Zone, stallion The Medic, broodmare La Golondrina and in the other racing personalities category, pioneer bookmaker Frank Watson (posthumously) and Charles Randle, retired general manager of the Jamaica Racing Commission.
Ten horses claimed
TEN HORSES were claimed at Caymanas Park on Saturday, including three winners.
These were RUCKUS in the first, SELENA MYSTIQUE in the ninth and stable-companion KYLE'S DIVA in the closing race.
RUCKUS was claimed from Richie Todd by champion trainer Wayne DaCosta on behalf of himself for $380,000. DaCosta also claimed seventh race runner-up ROSY CAT from Todd for $140,000.
The grey SELENA MYSTIQUE, a convincing winner of the James B. Dawes Memorial Cup feature, was claimed from trainer Ryan Darby by Richard Donaldson on behalf of Cayjam for $250,000, while KYLE'S DIVA was also taken by Donaldson for $140,000 after romping the last race.
In the ninth, the runner-up TSUNAMI was taken from Howard Phillipps by trainer Victor Williams for $260,000, as well as sixth placed PROCEEDACCORDINGLY for $260,000. The latter was claimed from Patrick Fong by trainer Barrington Rambally on behalf of himself.
Finally, as many four horses changed hands in the fifth race for $170,000 - $145,000 claimers. SAMFIE went to Wayne DaCosta for $170,000, highly fancied MEZZALUNA to Richard Donaldson on behalf of Cayjam for $150,000, JUSTIFIED AWARD to Bernard Vincent and the runner-up DUBAI EXPRESS to Richie Todd for $170,000.
