FORT ERIE, Canada – Reigning champion Juan Crawford rode a double to lead a string of Caribbean successes on the eight-race card at Fort Erie on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old won race five over a mile with 5-1 chance Doctor Uptown before returning to capture race seven over six furlongs with 8-1 bet Team Win.
Jamaican Kirk Johnson joined the winners when he partnered with near-favourite Kozy Cat to beat the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares by 1-¼ lengths in race two over six furlongs.
And veteran Barbadian Simon Husbands teamed up with 3-1 chance Gizmo Rogers to brush aside the three-year-old and upward maidens by 1-½ lengths going a mile.
Championship leader, Barbadian Chris Husbands, grabbed his share of glory when he got seven-year-old chestnut gelding Grin n’ Bear up late to edge the three-year-olds and upward in a two furlong dash.
Husbands tops the standings with 28 wins, 14 clear of Guyana-born Sunny Singh, with Crawford fourth on 12 and Johnson sixth on nine wins.
It was Crawford who took the plaudits with his brace, however.
After four previous failed outings, he opened his account by guiding five-year-old chestnut gelding Doctor Uptown to a narrow win over the three-year-olds and upward.
Bay of Rum duelled first with Remember the Maine and Deep Explorer before Crawford brought Doctor Uptown with the late charge to win by a head.
And his second win came when he steered five-year-old mare Team Win to a 2-¼ length victory over the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares.
Zoysia, with Johnson aboard, set the early pace but Crawford produced a flying late run with Team Win to go from last to first.
Meanwhile, Caribbean jockeys won four of the seven races on Tuesday’s card at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, to continue their impressive showing this season.
Reigning champion Antonio Whitehall, who has opted to focus his efforts this season at Century Mile in Edmonton, won for only the 10th time in 78 rides when he paired with 3-1 bet Pucker to capture race four over six furlongs.
The pair made every inch of the running to reach the wire 1-¼ lengths clear in a dominant win over the three-year-olds and upward.
Whitehall came up short in his four other rides, narrowly missing out in race seven when he finished second aboard 10-1 shot Go Witt Go, half-length behind winner Divine Ride, ridden by Trinidadian Stanley Chadee Jr, in a 5-½ furlong sprint.
Chadee, one of the leading riders at the western Canada racetrack this season, duelled early on with Home Early Shirley in the dash for the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares.
However, he got the better of the late running to steer five-year-old chestnut mare Divine Ride to the finish strongly.
Jamaican Shamaree Muir was also in winners’ row when he guided 3-1 chance Candy Con to a handsome two-length victory over the three-year-olds and upward in race one.
Favourite Clipboard Money led before Muir brought his five-year-old gelding from a stalking position to reel in the leader.
Muir’s fellow countryman Neville Stephenson also tasted success on the day’s card, combining with 2-1 choice Silver Spun to edge the three-year-olds and upward by three-quarters of a length in a six furlong dash.
Favourite El Chairman led by nearly three lengths at the half-way stage before Stephenson roused the seven-year-old bay gelding and caught the leader at the sixteenth pole.
Jorge Carreno is the runaway leader with 57 wins with Chadee second on 37 and Jamaican Leroy Nelson, third on 25.
Stephenson lies fifth on 22 runs while Muir has notched 10 wins for the season which got underway May 24 and ends September 15. (CMC)
