Etobicoke – Not for the first time this season, the spotlight fell on teenaged jockey Slade Jones after he rode two winners on Monday’s nine-race card to steal some of the headlines at the celebrated Woodbine racetrack in Canada.
Jones, who was born in Canada, but raised in Barbados, captured race one with 9-1 choice Zippity Day before returning to nail race two aboard favourite Super Headline.
The 16-year-old, grandson of former south Caribbean champion Chally Jones and son of former reinsman Jono Jones, is the youngest rider in the Woodbine colony, narrowly missed out on a third win on the programme.
Jones has 25 wins from 196 outings in his first ever international campaign and sits 11th in the Woodbine standings.
Japanese Kazushi Kimura, the defending champion, tops the charts with 87 wins – 15 clear of second Rafael Hernandez.
Jones kicked off his success early in the day when he combined with three-year-old chestnut filly Zippity Day to get the better of the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares by three quarters-of-a-length.
Going 1 700 metres, favourite Brienne of Tarth produced the early fractions before Jones brought Zippity Day from near the back of the field to contest the lead mid-stretch and slowly edged away.
Jones wasted little time in doubling his tally, guiding the three-year-old chestnut gelding Super Headline to a 1-1/2 length win over the three-year-old and upward maidens.
Yet again, Jones settled Super Headline off the pace in mid-pack, 11-1 bet Mia’s Majesty carving out the early splits in the six furlong trip.
Super Headline was full of running at the quarter pole, took over passing the furlong marker to be ahead of 6-1 chance Kodiak Mamba at the wire.
(CMC)
