November 29 was one of the most memorable days in racing in T&T. For the first time in my generation, six renowned UK jockeys rode on our shores. The last time that happened was when legendary Lester Piggott rode in the 1960s. Lanfranco Dettori and his companions are household names in every betting shop and turfite home in this country. While the sextet did not win in the Championship Series, turfites were thrilled to witness Dettori and Kieron Fallon both scoring bloodless victories.
In the series, turfites saw the six top jockeys but would have been thrilled by the rides of Ronald Ali, Brian Boodramsingh and Omar Walker. The rides of Ali and Walker in particular are worthy of mention. The former withstood the patented power-packed finish of Fallon on the well fancied The Tactician to win the first race on the hitherto maiden, Kodo. Kodo had previously failed to finish higher than third in 15 lifetime starts, but the quality ride from Ali made owner Reyaz Ahamad a smiling man. The fact that a lesser fancied horse was able to hold off a more fancied rival spoke volumes for the riding acumen of the jockey.
In Walker's case, he produced outsider Lang Amour to wear down favourite Thisonesforron, ridden by Tom Queally in the final 50 metres. Again, here was a Caribbean rider outfinishing a more illustrious international rival. Photos of them getting the better of their international rivals will surely adorn the walls of their living room for eternity. In the case of Boodramsingh it is not his fault that the mounts of the international sextet did not figure in the finish but he also showed his skill by outriding his Barbadian and Jamaican counterparts in the final 100 metres of the second race of the series. The satisfaction, I am sure, would have been that much greater if Convoy and Just Honest had been ridden by the UK based jockeys. He could do no more than win though.
The raceday, however, was not only memorable for this.
There was a Bigman in Town who stamped his authority, not only on his six hapless rivals in the Caribbean Champion Stakes, but also on the racing industry with his imperious win under Dettori. Clearly, he did not need Dettori but it must surely have been more gratifying to connections to have someone of Dettori's stature in all future photos of the occasion. While we clearly did not see the best of Princess Popstar, it was reported that she bled heavily through the Lasix, it is very unlikely that even at her best, she would have been able to get close to the Bigman. Momentum had previously had his limitations exposed by Urban Knight and once again raced as though not quite in the same league as the very best horses in the land � even with a hefty weight for age concession. He remains an exceptionally talented colt but not a great one. Bigman in Town has certainly turned a corner. Prior to this year, comparisons with Bruceontheloose seemed fallacious but his indefatigable owner kept faith and alienated a lot of turfites in the process. Such comparisons no longer seem daft however. After a fairly subdued start to the season, with defeats in his first two starts, a change of stable signaled a dramatic change in fortunes for this colt. A comprehensive four length victory over the top class in the Santa Rosa Dash, his third start of the year, was devalued somewhat because he was in receipt of in excess of six kilos from his main class rivals. When he was then defeated in the ARC Cup by Readbetweendlines and Jouvert, the naysayers were back out in full force.
It is not clear what happened between June 20 and August 1, but a different horse re-appeared in the President's Cup over 1900 metres. That horse proceeded to destroy the opposition, winning on the bridle by six lengths. When the same horse proceeded to slaughter the best horses in the country in the Diamond Stakes over 1350 metres by 10 lengths, we were clearly in the midst of something special. That Bigman would subsequently treat the Triple Crown winner and the 2013 Jamaica Horse of the Year with disdain in the Champion Stakes winning by 10 lengths eased down was not the only spectacular feature. He also broke the track record for 1800 metres in the process returning a time of 1.51 flat, a time 1.3 seconds faster than when he was defeated into third on June 20.
We also saw a very smart performance by two-year old Serengeti. This filly, which was imported in utero, lit up the early morning with a sparkling romp on her debut. Her style of racing reminded one of the impressive debut of another youngster with similar connections, Headline News. This filly is owned by the Ladies Syndicate, a partnership that includes Joan St. Omer Smith, wife of Ruthven Smith, the owner of Headline News and Diane Scott, the wife of Pierpont Scott, one of the legendary families of the turf. While nothing is guaranteed in life, this filly has the size and scope to be among the best of her generation. Her next start is eagerly anticipated.
In summary, there were a number of notable developments that will linger with turfites. One notable distraction, however, was the distasteful advertisement on the back cover of the racing programme re the source of contribution from a certain individual. Whatever the merits of the feelings on either side, the use of that forum to air the grievance was unfortunate. I hope that all involved would have been chastened by the negative feedback and that, unlike all of the positive aspects, the raceday is not memorable for this, but rather for the quality of racing and jockeyship.