Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
JACK SPARROW, running at huge odds of 25-1 with visiting Canadian-based Jamaican jockey Kirk Johnson aboard, scored a stunning upset in the open allowance sprint at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Owned by Fitzroy Glispie's Jockeys' Enterprise and trained by Rowan Mathie, JACK SPARROW closed rapidly on the rails to catch tearaway leader ASKAWOMAN (8-1) in deep stretch, winning the 1200-metre race by half a length in a field of seven.
The betting made the consistent grey gelding NASATOL a howling 3-5 favourite, but in the end could only manage fourth after he was carried very wide by highly-fancied FUSILIER at the home turn.
ASKAWOMAN showed superior speed to lead comfortably from FUSILIER and DIESEL with JACK SPARROW outpaced towards the rear passing the half mile. Bu the fleet-footed ASKAWOMAN (Javour Simpson up) turned for home a good leader and was full of running a furlong out, she was gobbled up by JACK SPARROW who finished like the proverbial train along the rails to lead well inside the last furlong.
It was JACK SPARROW's second consecutive win. The five-year-old bay gelding by Outrigger - Ruling Angel had previously won over 1500 metres on November 10 with leading jockey Omar Walker aboard.
Gamble
Jockeys' Enterprise and Mathie teamed up to land a massive gamble later in the afternoon when the 9-5 marginal favourite EL PEQUENO (Richie Mitchell up) ran on strongly from well off the pace to win the George Headley Jr. Memorial Cup feature over 1400 metres by two lengths from BRITISH LA GENERAL (15-1) and the subsequently disqualified PRINCESS NESSA (9-5), who enjoyed a clear lead into the straight.
RED OCTOBER stumbled and fell after passing the post fifth, decking his apprentice rider Rayan Wilson who was lucky to escape unhurt. However, RED OCTOBER was not so lucky as he broke his neck and had to be euthanised.
Meanwhile, Sandre Ridley, the only apprentice from the batch of 15 which graduated from the Jockeys' School in the summer of 2006 yet to ride a winner, finally broke his duck aboard 9-1 chance BUSTER JACK for trainer Donovan Raymond in the closing 1200-metre race confined to jockeys who have not ridden a winner this year.
Ridley, who won on his ninth career ride, had been absent from the saddle since February 3 after sustaining an injury in a spill at the half mile aboard LEGENDARY GLITZ in the closing race.
Kirk Johnson had a second winner in the Wayne DaCosta-trained MARK TO MARKET (5-1) who went wire-to-wire in the 1400-metre race for three-year-olds, while in-form Dane Nelson also took a double.
