Ellis drives home four winners
published: Sunday | May 9, 2004

By Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

AFTER FAILING to ride a winner last Wednesday, title-chasing jockey Shane Ellis rebounded nicely at Caymanas Park yesterday with four winners on the 12-race programme, drawing level with arch-rival Trevor Simpson on 33 winners in the process.

The second generation jockey, son of three-time champion Winston Ellis, signalled his intentions from the first when booting home 2-1 chance RESTLESS WARRIOR in post-to-post fashion, staving off Simpson's mount REJECT (the favourite) by half a length.

Ellis came back to win the fourth race aboard the 4-5 favourite AFFAIRS OF STATE - again going wire to wire, then even-money favourite PLATINUM QUEEN in the sixth race for maiden four-year-olds over the straight five course, and smart debutante CHOSEN ONE in the eighth race for maiden three-year-olds over the straight.

With this windfall, Ellis has pushed his season's tally to 33, the same as Simpson who rode only one winner on the card in 2-y-o debutante VENOM for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta in the third race over 400 metres straight.

Ellis, who relinquished the lead to Simpson last Wednesday when the champion rode four winners, said he was not the type to "roll over and play dead".

Yesterday he duly returned the favour and with Simpson facing a possible suspension on Tuesday when he faces the Stewards at the Winchester Road offices of the Jamaica Racing Commission to answer charges of intimidatory riding aboard MUSIC MASTER (who was disqualified from first in the ninth race on Wednesday), Ellis could regain the lead before long.

Meanwhile, GATLIN produced a strong run in mid-stretch to win the Birnamwood Trophy feature (claiming $260,000-$220,000) over 1300 metres.

Going off at odds of 7-2 with two-time champion jockey Joe Buchanan riding for owner/trainer Derrick Parram, GATLIN was never far off the pace in the 11-strong field as Simpson's mount RUNDUMPLINRUN and DIGITAL disputed the lead for a long way.

BOUND FOR GLORY (4-1), who raced in touch along with the 5-2 favourite MR. VIGOROUS, shot into the lead approaching the home turn but failed to hold the fast-finishing GATLIN at bay early in the last furlong and also lost second to MR. VIGOROUS.

The programme produced eight winning favourites in the 3-y-o debutant TIME OF MY LIFE in the second race, stable-companion VENOM, AFFAIRS OF STATE, MOLTEN LAVA, PLATINUM QUEEN, CHOSEN ONE, GENTLE ON LINE and the progressive American 3-y-o filly INTERNET COMMANDER, who made all convincingly in the overnight allowance race over 1200 metres to post her second consecutive win.

She was ridden by Charles Hussey who had a second winner on the card in TIME OF MY LIFE, one of two winners for DaDosta who along with trainer Dwight Chen posted a double.

Also notching two winners was the apprentice Andrew Nunes. He won aboard 5-1 chance MR. DUNN in the seventh race over the straight where he floored the odds on the howling favourite United States ONE and DANCING JINSKY at 8-1 in the 10th race for conditional $140,000 claimers.

Racing takes a break on Wednesday to pave the way for the Lotto Classic race day on Saturday, featuring the $2 million Governor's Cup for native bred three-year-olds over 2000 metres.