Former champion jockey Reshawn Latchman sent statisticians searching through the BTC’s record books to see when last a jockey won five races on a race card at the Garrison Savannah as he achieved that feat yesterday.
The dethroned champion, riding like a man possessed, combined with trainer Jonathan Simpson to win four races; and despite not winning the day’s feature he single-handedly held centre stage.
Latchman had the honour of opening and closing out the afternoon’s proceedings on Hall Of Fame Race Day, the opening day of the Barbados Turf Club’s 2014 season.
The duo got the streak started by taking the Maid Of Honour Condition Race for West Indian-bred maidens, landing with the impressive first-time starter Margarita for owners P. O’Neil, M. Cotran and J. Simpson.
After that, Latchman put on a display of vintage front riding last seen at the Garrison Savannah in the prime days of former jockey Anderson Ward. His next four winners were all positioned on the front end.
Janak’s Gold rubbed shoulders almost for the entire trip before he finally put away a resolute and determined Stratsford Lad in winning the Fitz Gill Memorial Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 50-70 over 1 800 metres. The winner is owned by Bill and Haley Blevins.
Pyroman’s victory for new owners Sam and Jack was next on the card and this along with the win on Sugar Loaf Peak were the easiest of Latchman’s successes as neither horse was headed or challenged from the start.
Pyroman won the John Armstrong Memorial Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 35-55 over 1 800 metres, while Sugar Loaf Peak, owned by Stanton French, closed out the day by taking the Edgar Crossley Memorial Handicap for three-year-old maidens over 1 100 metres.
Nothing would have pleased Simpson and Latchman more than the hard-fought victory achieved by the badly out-of-form Whatadeal, owned by PM Racing, as he won the Seawell Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 22-45.
Locked in a keen tussle from the gates with Broken Vow, Whatadeal only got his head in front on the wire.
Forced to play second fiddle to the performance of Latchman and Simpson, Indanger, under jockey Antonio Bishop, turned back the opposition to land the feature J.A.K “Tony” Archer Memorial Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 80-100.
Indanger, owned by brothers Daniel and Martin Raizman, defeated Cinnamon Jane under rider Anderson Trotman, Indian Officer with Jason Leacock up took third and Little Man Arran partnered by Latchman secured fourth place.
Bishop had earlier won the Front Light Handicap with the Aysha Syndicate’s Another Cool who defeated horses rated 42-65 over 1 100 metres.
The A Team-owned Just Jiving won Division-A of the Bobby’s Dream Handicap for three-year-old and older horses rated 10-30 over 1 570 metres.
That win gave trainer Richard Deane two winners and won jockey Jalon Samuel the Bubba’s Sunday Buffet and Breakfast Ride of the Day, sponsored by Bubba’s Sports Bar & Restaurant.