Champion jockey Jalon Samuel and champion trainer Andrew Nunes will spearhead the Bajan contingent to compete at the lucrative Caribbean Nations Racing Challenge today in Trinidad and Tobago.
The team is complemented by jockey Chris Husbands and four horses owned by champion breeder Sir Charles Williams.
The inaugural running of the US$650 000 ten-race card will be at Santa Rosa Park in Arima starting at 11:15 a.m. and has also attracted horses from Jamaica, and St Kitts.
Despite the relatively small fields, fans will witness some of the best riders from around the globe competing on the sand and turf track. These include Irishman Richard Hughes, American Corey Nakatani, Peruvian born United States based Edgar Prado and Allan Garcia as well as Trinidadian Emile Ramsammy who is based in Canada.
While those five riders have accumulated just over 13 000 wins among them, it’s the 18-year-old Samuel, whose services are in high demand and he has acquired eight rides out of the ten races on the card.
His countryman Husbands has landed five rides which will be viewed by 400 million viewers via simulcasting from TVG.
Tocoman, Allan Madoo and trainer Glen Mendez are responsible for Samuel’s rise to fame, when the then 16-year-old took Trinidad’s racing by storm winning ten races in three race days in the familiar silks of yellow with red chevron, yellow sleeves with red seams and yellow cap.
Among Samuel’s better rides are Errol Stables-owned Signal Alert in race 1; Juanistheman in race 3 for trainer Carew; Tocoman-owned Perfect Circle in race 4; The Bently Boys-owned Readbetweendlines in race 9 and Frankenstein for owner Allan Madoo in race 8.
Six of his rides are for Mendez, with the remainder for Michael Carew Jr, both of whom are in the top five trainers standings trailing leader John O’Brien.
The Barbadian horses will take to action from the very start with the Sir Charles Williams-owned Grenadilla ridden by Husbands in race 1, the US$75 000 Imported Sprint Challenge Trophy for imported three-year-olds and over, 1 200 metres.
Next in action will be the former Barbadian horse of the year Apostle who tackles his opponents in the US$50 000 West Indian-bred Turf Stayers Challenger Trophy over 1 700 metres in race 4 He will be partnered by Emile Ramsammy.
Stablemate Chimichurri with Corey Nakatani in the saddle will match speed with eight other competitors in the US$50 000 for West Indian bred two-year-old colts and geldings only over 1 350 metres in race six.
Sir Charles’ other runner, the speedy Slip Stream, will carry the fight in race 10, US$75 000 West Indian Bred Sprint Challenge Trophy for three-year-olds and over going 1 200 metres.
There is no racing today at the Garrison Savannah.
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