TIMES WERE ROUGH but the Barbados Turf Club (BTC) was able to weather the storm with its overall performance in 2013.
Mother nature was kind to the BTC as there was just one postponement due to the weather in the 25 scheduled race days, with the Guineas Race Day originally scheduled for April 29 eventually run off on May 4.
But the BTC needs to do a lot more to attract quality overseas horses to its premier race, the Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup. Last year’s event attracted only two overseas competitors: Trinidad and Tobago’s Just Call Me Roger and St Kitts’ Esquire.
Sir David Seale’s Aristodemus won the Gold Cup with Anderson Trotman in the steels, while the Blue Diamond Racing-owned Daga, ridden by Kyle Carter, won the Grade 1 Coolmore “Home Of Champion” Stakes.
The Joanne Parravicino and Shaun Meil-owned Seattle Sunshine won six out of nine starts this year while H&M owned-Shared Adventure won five of seven races to be the most successful horses.
Among the trainers, champion Victor Cheeseman logged two of the eight trebles recorded and also landed five of the 15 double wins. There were 11 one-two finishes with Richard Deane saddling five of them.
Champion Anderson Trotman and Damario Bynoe each had three of the nine trebles by jockeys. Trotman, Rickey Walcott and Jalon Samuel also rode three doubles.
Two of the three trebles for Trotman and Bynoe came in the first season while Reshawn Latchman chalked up one in the month of February.
Among the trainers, Andrew Nunes chalked up a treble on January 5; Edward Walcott Jr did so on January 19 and Anderson Ward followed on January 26.
The Lewin Godding-owned and Victor Cheeseman-trained filly Nekitta set the stage for the Barbados Triple Crown series by winning the first jewel, the Grade I Barbados Guineas.
During the second season, Nekitta landed the second jewel Barbados Midsummer Creole Classic before her plans for the third jewel the Barbados Derby were derailed by Gay Smith’s colt Knight Rider as he won for trainer Walcott.
Earlier that day Shared Adventure gave an awesome display of his ability when he annihilated the top-rated horses en route to winning the T.A. “Tommy” Peirce Memorial Trophy.
There were seven treble victories during this season. Trainers Cheeseman, Liz Deane and Boston John had one each on August 1, 17 and September 28, respectively, while jockeys Walcott and Bynoe split the other four.
In the third and final season the BTC lost sponsorship of the Victor Chandler Stakes but reintroduced a jockey’s challenge between the host country and a visiting British and Irish team while welcoming aboard new partners Courtesy Garage and Bubba’s Sports Bar & Restaurant.
The Barbados team, led by Trotman and including Antonio Whitehall, Antonio Bishop and Bynoe, won the challenge.
Day 2 belonged to trainer Jonathon Simpson, who won three races, while Knight Rider stunned favourite
Shared Adventure on the final day to land the feature Diamonds International Boxing Day Stakes & Trophy over 1 570 metres.
My wishes for the sport of kings in the new year are for the jockeys to be mindful of their weight and ride out their mounts to the finish line, and for all stakeholders to be treated alike regardless of their status.
