Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterCHAMPION JOCKEY Brian Harding assumed sole leadership of the jockeys' championship at Caymanas Park yesterday by virtue of a sparkling three-timer on the 12-race programme.
After starting the day joint leader in the standings with Trevor Simpson and Wesley 'Callaloo' Henry, all with 41 wins, Harding romped home aboard 1-2 favourite PURE MUD for trainer Philip Feanny in the third, 2-5 favourite SEATTLE'S GIRL in the Owen Silvera Memorial Cup open allowance feature over 1600 metres and completed his triple aboard 4-1 chance GI DEM A RUN for trainer Gary Subratie in the closing 1200-metre race for maiden three-year-olds.
Four-time champion Charles Hussey also rode three winners to be joint second on 42 with Henry (who won aboard Free Lance), leaving Simpson on 41.
SIMPSON ON SUSPENSION
Simpson elected to take the day off, but he will miss the mid-week meet and also next Saturday owing to a two-day suspension for careless riding atop first race winner SUN TANNED TOES on June 17.
Hussey won the first two races aboard odds-on favourite JET POWER and INSATIABLE before rounding off the three-timer aboard 2-1 chance RISING MOON in the seventh race over 1100 metres, his mount holding on grimly from the fast-finishing SAMMY MY GIRL (4-1) with Harding in the saddle.
Meanwhile, the consistent American 4-y-o filly, SEATTLE'S GIRL justified favouritism to win the feature, but was forced to pull out all the stops in order to beat the bold front-runner DIGI N' JIGGY, who was brave in defeat.
TRURNED ON LEVEL TERMS
Both horses turned for home on level terms and although SEATTLE'S GIRL (chased) soon pointed in front, DIGI N' JIGGY just would not go away on the inside. The Wayne DaCosta-trained 4-y-o gelding rally strongly under some torrid left-hand whipping from Ameth Robles and Harding had to dig deep in order to bring home SEATTLE'S GIRL by half a length in a field of seven.
The winner is trained by Dwight Chen for popular owner Howard Hamilton, who had a second winner in PURE MUD, one of five favourites to score. Mild upsets came via the Donovan Bruce-trained COMMON 'D' at 9-1 in the sixth and TROPICAL DREAMER at 6-1 in the 10th, the respective divisions of the $160,000 conditional claiming race over 1300 metres.
