HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida (CMC):
TRAINERS KIRK Ziadie and Robert Hale and jockey Rajiv Maragh combined to log three Jamaican victories in Gulfstream horse racing on Monday afternoon.
Ziadie's 7-to-5 favourite Montford Ridge won the first race, Maragh rode the third race winner Iwoman, and Hale's six-year-old gelding Placido captured the fifth race.
In the US$12,000 first race over a mile and sixteenth, title-chasing jockey Cornelio Velasquez executed a well timed come-from-behind ride aboard Ziadie 's five-year-old gelding Montford Ridge and snatched victory by 1/2-length.
Montford Ridge covered the trip in one minute 42.18 seconds.
Ziadie also had a win Monday at Tampa Bay Downs - where he is the leading trainer - with the 5-2 second favourite Jammin in the Sand in the US$12,000 eighth race.
NARROW WIN
Maragh, the 21-year-old son of retired Jamaican jockey - now trainer - Collin Maragh, scored a narrow win in the US$22,000 third race with the three-year-old filly Iwoman.
Maragh led the seven-horse field with the filly and repelled a late-race threat from the 3-1 chance Holy Sunset to win by 1/2-length at odds of 5-1.
The win was the 19th of the Gulfstream season for Maragh, who had a major success in January when he rode the 18-1 outsider Hotstufanthensome to an upset win in the Mac Diarmida Grade 3 Stakes.
Hale secured his win when Velasquez steered Placido to an exciting win in the US$16,000 fifth race.
Velasquez used the 6-5 favourite Placido to stalk the pace and roused the gelding to take the lead in the upper-stretch, but needed a bustling ride to fend off the fast finishing runner-up Doubly Hard (6-1) for a victory.
