Champion jockey Dillon Khelawan, who had a great final day of racing on Boxing Day, December 26, 2024, is set to continue his winning ways in 2025. Along with champion trainer John O’Brien, they controlled the programme out at Santa Rosa Park, Arima and ended the season in style. The duo was successful with four winners on the final day of racing.
However, on Day One of the ARC 2025 racing season, Saturday, Khelawan believes that his four rides must be respected. He opens the day in the second race of the six-race card with Princess Royal, who he thinks will do well. He said the race is a tough one, but if they go too fast, he could be closing them down close to home.
“My second ride on the card is the superb winner from the last day of racing, Creme De La Creme. This horse has improved, and it will take a great performance by one of the horses to lower her colours. She has improved. My third ride on Saturday is the well-bred Bourbon Blitz. This horse has improved since his debut when he finished eighth. He has come on a big run from him in this event.
“My final ride will be aboard Princess Aruna in the feature turf event. She loves the turf track, which is a great chance for her to put her head in front. She has been knocking on the door and finished well to snatch third in the Gold Cup behind stablemate Hello World, so on Saturday she must be respected. The rain has fallen daily, and I would like the sun to come out and dry the track for the next two days, making it a good track. It is tough for her to come out and race on a rain-softened track,” Khelawan said.
However, the best three-year-old in training will run in the final event of the six-race card, and that is Headliner, the winner of the Juvenile Championship over 1,350 metres.
“I rode him then, but Brian Boodramsing will ride him on Saturday. I don’t think he will be beaten, but I will be aboard Secret Pages for Glenn Mendez, and that horse must have an outside chance. But Headliner is very difficult to beat,” he said.
The Arima Race Club (ARC) must be complimented for bringing in new horses from the United States, and the stand-out performer was none other than the five-year-old mare Sneaky Cheeky, which won the Grade One—Stewards Cup by 2 3/4 lengths in impressive fashion. She beat another imported horse, Striking Chrome, in the process. However, she was unable to land a blow in the Gold Cup. Credit must be extended to trainer Ramesh Ramroop, who toiled to ensure his new training method worked with the mare.
Ramroop stated, “She is well and has galloped well two days ago. She has been on the turf course but only did slow work, and I hope to get a great run from her. She will be getting set for the Spa Sprint in Barbados. She won the sprint in great style and must be the horse to beat if she handles the turf course for the first time.”