Jamaican jockey lands double in Canada

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (CMC):

Neville Stephenson landed two of the three Caribbean stakes wins on Saturday's nine-race card at Marquis Downs.

The Jamaican jockey steered the 6-1 chance Langfuhr Max to a two-length victory over Goldon Shaheen, under compatriot Andrew Wright, in the CDN$12,500 Western Heritage Stakes in the fourth race on the card.

Langfuhr Max, a two-year-old chestnut gelding, sprinted 1200m on the dirt in one minute, 16.85 seconds after Stephenson settled him in a good position in the nine-horse race, steadily advanced before vying for the lead late and winning in a driving finish.

Stephenson followed up with a four-length victory on the 7-4 favourite Striking Time in the CDN $12,500 Shortgrass Heritage Stakes in the eighth race.

Clear win

Striking Time, a three-year-old grey gelding, completed 1600m in 1 min, 42.25 seconds after vying for the lead in the stretch, and drawing clear in the final 200m.

Stephenson now has four stakes wins for the season, and now has 26 wins in total, eight fewer than current leader and reigning champion Naim Samaroo of Trinidad and Tobago.

Lorne Keizer, another T&T jockey, captured his first stakes win for the season when he took the 8-1 chance Deputys Moment to a 3³/⁴-length victory over Sil-ver Mint Deputy, under compatriot Christopher Jadoo, in the CDN$12,500 Parkland Heritage Stakes in the sixth race.

Deputys Moment, a three-year-old bay filly, travelled 1600m in 1:43.59 in a gate-to-wire victory, giving Keizer his 16th win for the season, placing him sixth.

Elsewhere, Samaroo earned two more wins to take his tally for the season to 34 when he won the CDN$3,000 first race and the CDN$3,500 fifth race.

He was handed first place in the opener when he finished second on the 11-4 bet Smokin Cash, which was upgraded following the disqualification of Flaming Bog, under Jamaican Christopher Fung, and later rode the 5-1 chance Hurricane Retsina to victory in the fifth race.

Stanley Chadee Jr, another T&T jockey, picked up the CDN $3,400 seventh race on the 28-5 chance La Bikina, and Jamaican Andrew Wright brought the curtain down with a narrow victory on the 15-4 choice More Sophisticated in the CDN$3,400 final race.