Orville Clarke, Freeelance Writer
NASATOL (left), ridden by Richie Mitchell, gets the better of DANCING SAM (centre) and COMMANDING LIGHT (rails) to win the overnight allowance feature for the Wayne DaCosta Trophy over 1100 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
NOTHING BEATS a horse who loves to win races. And few are more adept at doing so than NASATOL.
Yesterday, the six-year-old grey gelding successfully toted the top weight of 57kg, coming through in the closing stages to win the overnight allowance feature for the Wayne DaCosta Trophy by a neck from highly fancied DANCING SAM over 1100 metres.
Running at odds of 7-2 with Richie Mitchell aboard, NASATOL duly chalked up his sixth win from his last seven starts and his 15th lifetime from 35 starts.
Held off the early pace in fourth as the 3-2 favourite BULLET TRAIN led at a fast clip from DANCING SAM (2-1) and COMMANDING LIGHT (9-5) under five-time champion jockey Trevor Simpson, NASATOL turned for home four wide, some three lengths off the pace.
Grab the lead
DANCING SAM, with smart apprentice Andre Martin astride, outbattled BULLET TRAIN and COMMANDING LIGHT on the rails to grab the lead approaching the distance, only to be denied in deep stretch by the strong-finishing NASATOL on the outside, Mitchell switching his whip to the left hand a furlong out and kept tapping ferociously right up to the line.
"Most people felt the handicaps was against him today, but this is a horse who enjoys winning and I knew he would give it 100 per cent," said the jockey.
"He responded nicely to the whip up the lane and leaving the furlong pole, I knew he would get up in time," said Mitchell, who only got the ride when 3kg claiming apprentice Harriston Lewis was stood down for one-day by the JRC welfare officer, Ina Lawrence, for his failure to attend regular church service last Sunday. This is a requirement for all apprentices.
Lewis had ridden NASATOL to victory in his previous race on February 17.
Teamed up
By Pat N Jac out of the Bold One mare Extraordinaire, NASATOL completed a double for Mitchell, owner Kary Neale and in-form trainer RobertDarby Sr.
The owner and trainer had earlier teamed up to win the eighth race with another 7-2 chance, TASSY'S WHIP. The American bred 4-y-o filly notched up her first win since December, 2005 and, like NASATOL, had to pull out all the stops to beat highly-fancied WIND JAMMER (2-1) over the straight.
Former champion jockey Wesley 'Callaloo' Henry and 18-year-old apprentice Andre Martin shared the riding honours with Mitchell, who had earlier won aboard 7-5 favourite IMPERIALIST (made all) for trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes.
Henry won aboard favourites HAFIFA (made all impressively) and RUMOUR HAS IT (3-2) in the fifth and 10th races respectively, while Martin kicked home BABY RENEE (3-2) in the third and the Richie Todd-trained ALL FIRED UP (9-5) in the secondary feature for the Tewfic Ziadie Memorial Cup over the circular nine course.
Another apprentice, Jason Simpson, also got among the winners aboard the Vin Edwards-trained WILD GLITZ (5-2) in the second race. Simpson recently lost his sister, Tamara, in a motor vehicle accident in Portmore and the funeral service takes place this morning at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hellshire, starting at 9:00 a.m.
