Bridgmohan lands four-timer

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CMC):

Jamaican jockey Shaun Bridgmohan won the US$60,000 Letellier Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds, riding one of four winners as he dominated the 11-race programme at the southern United States racetrack on Saturday.

The 31-year-old sat the two-year-old filly Fastation just off the pace, before rallying her in the stretch to get home by 3-1/2 lengths.

He completed the trip with the Steve Asmussen-trained favourite in a time of one minute, 11.19 seconds.

"She's such an honest filly and she opted to stay off the speed today," said Bridgmohan.

"She was quite comfortable back there and I let her do her thing, but she always does what you want her to do."

The win was the fifth consecutive stakes triumph for the Texas-bred filly, since her first win at the Texas Stallion Stakes back in July.

Going six furlongs, 25-1 longshot Big Sweets set the early pace, posting fractions of 21.49 seconds for the first quarter and 45.72 seconds for the half-mile.

Steady urging

Bridgmohan let Fastation sit back in fourth before switching her off the rails on the turn to the outside, to grab the lead nearing the furlong marker.

Fiscal Policy chased but Bridgmohan took the filly to the wire strongly under steady urging.

Earlier, Bridgmohan had raised the curtain on the day's action, when he carried the five-year-old chestnut horse Heavenly Chorus to a 2-1/4 length victory in race one over six furlongs, clocking a handy 1:08.03.

He followed up in race five with the 8-1 bet Dixon Lane, driving the two-year-old bay colt to a narrow win going 1-1/16th miles.

Bridgmohan fittingly capped off the day when he won race 11 with El Cascador, piloting the two-year-old chestnut gelding to a handsome win by 1-3/4 lengths over six furlongs.