Watsonm SYDNEY WATSON holds the distinction of being the longest serving race horse trainer still active at Caymanas Park today, his association with racing spanning 50 years.
He started training at Little Ascot (Marley), Old Harbour in 1954 and saddled his first winner, MOCKING BIRD for owner R.C. Jobson that same year.
Prior to that, the man who hails from Lucea, Hanover, began his involvement in racing by riding in Gymkana races, then as a one-day permit rider and groom at Fairfield in Montego Bay and groom.
Watson also did a stint as trainer at Knutsford Park in the mid and late 50s before the modern era of racing began at Caymanas Park in August, 1959.
TWO DERBY WINNERS
Watson quickly made his mark at Caymanas by saddling his first of two Derby winners, PRIN-CESS ROYAL (Kenneth Mattis up) for popular owner Pat Chung in 1961. The classy filly also won the Governor's Cup that year and Watson followed up in 1962 by posting CHEVALIER to win the prestigious mile and quarter Derby race again, also in the colours of Chung.
Other notable wins followed but it was not until 1975 that he was able to saddle a second Derby winner - TUDOR WIT with a youthful Emilio 'Bimbo' Rodri-quez riding for the champion owner of that year, Melvin Park Stud & Stables Limited.
Owned by Melvin 'Babu' Chin, the co-founder of Track Price Plus bookmaking company, Melvin Park was a major outfit in local racing at the time. Situated on St. John's Road in St. Catherine, the sprawling Melvin Park Farm, complete with its own mini racetrack, was one of the island's major stud farms in the 70s and Watson was resident trainer and manager of what was a highly successful operation.
LONG LINE OF WINNERS
The farm's resident stallions Best Reason, Fire Rocket and Tudor Rhapsody produced a
long line of winners including TUDOR WIT, FIREDEEN, SMASHING ROCKET, WORDS OF ROCKET, PAGON and RUNAGATE, among others.
Watson accompanied TUDOR WIT as Jamaica's representative to the Caribbean Classic in Venezuela in 1975, but the horse finished unplaced. However, when TUDOR WIT returned to Jamaica he capped a memorable season by winning the Harry Jackson Memorial Cup in the closing weeks of the season.
Today, at age 73, Watson has not lost the magic touch. His winners in recent weeks include ISSEY MIYAKE and LADY MANILA, while earlier in
the season he won with horses such as LADY SOLO, GROS VENTRES, FOXY'S CHOICE and MEDICAL ACCOUNT. One-on-One caught up with him at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
QUESTION: You're getting on in age now, how much longer do you intend to continue training?
SYNDEY WATSON: It all depends on my health. I still enjoy training and love being around horses. As long as I am physically able to withstand the rigours of training, I will continue. There's nothing else to do.
TODAY AND THE OLD DAYS
Q: How do you compare racing today to the old days at Caymanas and Knutsford Park?
SW: Racing today is better organised. We now have many more race days per year and it is big business. In the old days racing was more of a sport, especially in the years prior to Independence when it was more of a rich man's sport. A lot has changed in the past 25 years.
Q: How would you compare the jockeys riding today with those of the 60s and 70s?
SW: We have some good jockeys like Trevor Simpson, Winston Griffiths and a few others riding at present. However, the spread of good jockeys was much better in the 70s. During that era we had some good youngsters like Emilio Rodriquez, George HoSang, Richard Depass, Trevor McKenzie and Griffiths himself, along with some of the older riders such as Arthur Jones, Kenneth Mattis, Winston Ellis, Donald Andrade, David McKenzie, Jose Bravo and Neville Cousley who rode many winners for Melvin Park in the 70s. Cousley was one of the hardest jockeys to beat on a front runner. The visiting English jockeys like George Duffield, Joe Mercer, Ray Still, Dennis McKay and even the great Lester Piggott on his rare visits also made riding very competitive in those days.
GREATEST TRAINING FEAT
Q: What has been your greatest training feat?
SW: It is hard to distinguish between my two Derby winners. It is the dream of every trainer to win the Derby and I was over the moon when Princess Royal won it for champion owner Pat Chung in 1961. I would say Princess Royal over Tudor Wit, mainly because Princess Royal was the first and she helped me to establish myself as a top trainer at Caymanas Park in the early days.
Q: Would you say Princess Royal is the best horse you have trained?
SW: No. I think Tudor Wit had a bit more class than the filly.
Q: How big a deal was Melvin Park?
SW: Even by today's standards Melvin Park was huge. Personally speaking, being at the helm was a lot of work from it started in 1971 and folded in the late 70s. But I enjoyed every minute of it because the farm produced some good horses and at one time we had about 80 horses there.
INTRODUCED JOE BUCHANANM TO RACING
Q: I understand you were the man responsible for bringing two-time champion jockey Joe Buchananm into racing. Do you care to elaborate?
SW: Buchanan came to live with me at Winchester Road from he was 12 or 13 and it was through my influence that he became a jockey.
Q: What are your hobbies?
SW: I love sports and when I do have the time, like to watch Test cricket and top class football matches.
Q: How many horses do you currently train?
SW: Eleven with the vast majority being claimers. My best horse is Issey Miyake who won on a high claiming tag late last month. Some of the others are problem horses, but I manage to turn a few around to win races and that is my greatest joy as a trainer.
Orville Clarke
