Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
Brian Harding goes into the winners' enclosure after triumphing aboard the filly TALLAWAH last year. - FILE
CHAMPION JOCKEY Brian Harding of Trinidad and Tobago is due to return to the island next week for the big WITRA Classic raceday at Caymanas Park on Saturday, February 18.
This was confirmed by his governor, trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes, at the races on Saturday.
According to Nunes, Harding will fly in from Trinidad in time to receive his champion jockey award at the annual None Such/Horse of the Year awards dinner hosted by Caymanas Track Limited on the evening of Thursday, February 16 at the Hilton Hotel, New Kingston.
The seven-time Trinidadian champion will ride locally for the first time this season on February 18.
"He will then return to Trinidad on the following day and come back days later to resume riding at Caymanas Park on a regular basis as of Saturday, February 25," revealed Nunes.
The trainer also confirmed that Harding has renewed his lucrative contract to ride for Barbadian owner Elias Haloute and the stable this season.
Haloute, who was nosed out by Alexander Haber for the 2005 owners' title in the year's penultimate race, owns the vast majority of horses conditioned by Nunes.
Last year, Harding showed good battling qualities combined with an ice-cool temperament to win the championship for the first time with 109 winners, dethroning local champion Trevor 'Slicer' Simpson (100 wins) who failed in his bid to make it four in a row.
Harding, who was riding in excess of 100 winners for the first time anywhere, became the first non-Jamaican to win the title outright, surpassing the Panamanian José Bravo who shared the title with star apprentice Richard DePass in 1970, both with 53 winners.
Before leaving for Trinidad on Sunday, January 1, Harding told this reporter that he was undecided whether he would return to Jamaica to defend his title.
"Right now I have no definite plans. I just want to go home, cool out and spend time with my three children. By the end of January, I think I will be in a better position to say for sure what I plan to do next," he said then.
HAS BEEN ACTIVE
Since flying home, Harding has been active in the saddle. He rode two winners right off the bat on the opening day of the season at Santa Rosa racetrack on January 2. Then on January 14 he carved out a three-timer to be the leading jockey with five winners.
The 42-year-old jockey has ridden six winners since he resumed riding at Santa Rosa. However, with Jamaica having far more racedays than Trinidad and with this more opportunities to earn, he, not surprisingly, decided to renew his contract.
Harding was Trinidad and Tobago's champion jockey in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2003 and 2004.
He has ridden close to 800 winners in the twin-island republic and 303 at Caymanas since he started riding there seriously in 1996.
