By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterLEADING OWNER Elias Haloute, who races horses in five countries, says he enjoys spreading his wings.
The 61-year-old Barbadian not only owns horses in Jamaica, but Canada, Trinidad, Britain as well as his home country Barbados.
On Wednesday Haloute had two winners - one at Caymanas Park and the other at Pontefract about 5,000 miles away in the north of England.
His charge, CONSIDINE was a 12-1 winner at Pontefract with jockey Jason Tate riding for trainer James Eustate. And a few hours later at Caymanas it was the turn of his classic aspirant CRUISING ALTITUDE to put it across rivals by the resounding margin of 16 lengths under leading jockey Shane Ellis.
Thanks to Latonia's second classic win in Saturday's Courts Jamaica Oaks at the Park, Haloute has shot to the top of the owners' standings with $4.5 million in stakes. The Anthony Nunes-trained filly had previously won the Track Price Plus 1000 Guineas for native bred three-year-old fillies.
Significantly, Nunes and his older brother, Andrew train horses for Haloute in different countries. 'Baba' Nunes (Anthony) conditions a large string in Jamaica and 'Busha' Nunes (Andrew), who now resides in Barbados, trains for him in that country.
Apart from the three-year-olds LATONIA and CRUISING ALTITUDE, other horses owned by Haloute locally include the 2003 Red Stripe Superstakes winner PITTACUS, EPICTATUS, THE MINISTER and the imported colt ZICKWARTY.
ENTREPRENEUR
Outside of racing, Haloute is a highly successful entrepreneur in Barbados. His business interests include legal bookmaking and gaming, hotel and fast food outlets and real estate. I posed a few questions to the budding champion owner at Caymanas Park on Wednesday.
Q: What has been the high point of your involvement in racing.
EH: That would be winning both the Jamaica and Trinidad Derby in 1998 with TERREMOTO who was trained by Baba Nunes. It is always a crowning achievement to win the Derby, but two in the same year with the same horse is a once in a lifetime achievement. Outside of that, I also went on to win the Superstakes that year with TERREMOTO and last year I won it for the second time with PITTACUS.
Q: Was Terremoto your favourite horse?
EH: Without question. His untimely death from laminitis in early 1999 was a bitter pill to swallow.
Q: I understand that you also had a run of success in Barbados with Terremoto's older sister, Taalahorne.
EH: Yes, she won the Barbados Derby and Guineas and all the big two-year-old races.
Q: What's your take on Latonia?
EH: She's not the best looking filly you will encounter, but she has the biggest heart.
Q: What is your professional relationship with Baba Nunes like?
EH: He is responsible for introducing me to Jamaican racing and the partnership has been a great success because we operate in an environment of mutual respect, trust and loyalty.
Q: Andrew Nunes?
EH: Andrew is doing remarkably well. He is no doubt head and shoulders above any other trainer in Barbados today. He has made Jamaica proud in terms of highlighting his professional skills.
Q: Shane Ellis?
EH: He's a competent and capable rider in whom we have placed a great confidence. The slight turbulence in our relationship at the start of the season can be attributed to youth and bad judgement due to influence by persons who did not have his best interest at heart. Time has healed the differences, as can be observed from the vigour he generates when riding for the stable. Shane is back and we are glad to have him home again.
Q: Latonia and Cruising Altitude?
EH: Both in any normal year would be exciting prospects to win the Derby but not when you have an extraordinary horse like Distinctly Irish on the scene. I am indeed fortunate to win two classics with Latonia and she along with Cruising Altitude will both continue to win good races.
Q: Jamaica?
EH: I like Jamaica and Jamaicans like me. They make me feel at home. Jamaica demonstrates more than most Caribbean nations the spirit of oneness for all island people.
Q: Your hobbies?
EH: Foremost of all, horseracing.
