CHAMPION APPRENTICE Paul 'Country' Francis who posted six winners at Caymanas Park on Boxing Day, will team up with fellow non-claiming apprentice Oneil Mullings to represent Jamaica in a three-race Jockeys' Championship at Santa Rosa Park in Trinidad on New Year's Day.The Jockeys' Championship is sponsored by the First Citizens Bank and offers total prize money of US$10,000, with the winning team receiving US$3,000, second US$2,000, third US$1,500, fourth US$1,300, fifth US$1,200 and sixth US$1,000.
The six participating teams are as follows:
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO by newly crowned seven-time champion Brian Harding and Ricky Jadoo.
FOREIGN T & T by Emile Ramsammy and Raymond Ganpath.
BARBADOS by Keveh Nicholls and Desmond Bryan.
PANAMA by Nobel Abrego and Rojidan Ramirez.
CANADA by Richard Dos Ramos and Tyrone Harding.
JAMAICA by Francis and Mullings, the top two apprentices from the last batch which graduated from the JRC Jockeys' School in December 2002, with 140 and 88 winners respectively.
They depart on Friday, December 31 and return on Sunday, January 2.
Racing officials in Trinidad expect the Championships to highlight a big day of racing to start the 2005 seasn.
"The local industry is coming off a really big high from Boxing Day. It was a record attendance and record betting, and there is high anticipation for New Year's Day", David Loregnard, secretary of the T&T Racing Authority told the media.
- O. C.
