Suckoo, Clunis outsiders dent Reggae 6

LIGHTWEIGHT rider Tajay Suckoo won two races yesterday, including the Arthur Jones Memorial aboard last year’s Grade One Jamaica Cup winner, MOJITO, sharing riding honours with seven-pound claimer Everette Clunis.

Both impacted the Reggae 6 mandatory payout of $1,764,322 with upsetters.

Clunis gave legs to last Friday’s STAR Sports Reggae 6 warning, which predicted a bet “laden with tripwires for the mandatory payout”, opening the racecard with MOONLIGHT SONG at 15-1.

Suckoo followed up in the second with DUTCHESS at 7-1, ditching more bettors, before RUM WITH ME won the third at 8-5, a sigh of relief for holders of tickets still standing on their way to the $1,764,322 payout.

However, after Clunis won the fourth with 6-1 chance LUCY ON THE GO, only 17 tickets were alive heading into the last two events won by favourites, NEVER DESPAIR, and FRATELLANZA, who landed the sixth in a thrilling head-bob over EVERYTHING KRISS.

MOJITO, champion two-year-old in 2022, won his first race since last November’s Jamaica Cup by outfinishing American WALL STREET TRADER, who was deservedly stumped by the local-bred in his attempt to turn around woeful form shown in his previous run.

Attacking a smooth-looking WALL STREET TRADER, whose wide, sweeping move on the bridle took him past leader FORMALIST on the home turn, MOJITO saved ground under Tajay Suckoo to accelerate between horses in the stretch run of the six-furlong Arthur Jones Memorial.

MOJITO, who had not won a race in five outings since beating American GIRVANO in the Jamaica Cup at nine and a half furlongs, shook off WALL STREET TRADER’s rally to win the overnight-allowance event by a length and a half in 1:13.1 as the 4-5 favourite.

WALL STREET TRADER had finished 10 and a half lengths behind third-place MOJITO at seven furlongs on August 6, never a factor in the event won by SUPREMASI beating INTRESTNTIMESAHEAD.

It was a run too bad to be true, WALL STREET TRADER uncharacteristically among the backmarkers, a contrast to his July 25 effort when leading fellow American IMJUSTAGIRL into the lane at six and a half furlongs.

Meanwhile, two-time defending champion jockey Raddesh Roman won aboard NEVER DESPAIR, his first trip to the winners’ enclosure since falling from MIDNIGHT GALAXY on July 25.

Foster’s Saturday three-timer

Roman’s rival, Tevin Foster, had greeted the champion jockey’s return to the saddle with a three-timer on Saturday, moving six clear atop the riders’ championship.

Foster booted home two winners for champion trainer Jason DaCosta, howling favourites BIRTHDAY KING and GALLANT GROOM, United States-bred horses, in the second and seventh events, respectively.

Foster, who lost the 2024 title to Roman in the last race of the year, closed his Saturday three-timer aboard LAUREN’S SECRET with another signature, heart-stopping, come-from-behind victory, nailing PRINCE KAZAIRE at the wire with the 4-5 favourite in the eighth at six furlongs.

With five wins separating the rival riders, a showdown sweetened by champion owner Carlton Watson putting up a $200,000 prize for this year’s winner, the last four months of the season, starting with this week’s Saturday-Sunday opener for September, should have fans of the respective riders rooting on every winner.