Top Trinidad Jockey Brian Harding rewarded for excellent performance

Aug 31, 2011 Sports

While the horseracing fraternity has a long way to go to reach the standard it had before in the days of Durban Park or other Caribbean countries, efforts are being made towards improvement despite some hiccups.
Two main factors being cited are the Government’s reluctance to table the relevant legislations to govern the sport, although being given a draft a few years ago and the absence of a Guyana Horses Racing Authority are among some of the bug bears. However a few stables and Race tracks are taking it upon their own to implement their own initiatives expending millions of dollars in the process.
Over the last month or two a number of Foreign or overseas based Jockeys were flown into the country by a few of the stables to participate in the lucrative race meets.
Champion Jockey at the recently concluded President’s Cup, Brian Harding, the top Trinidadian International jockey has been riding for over 30 years and apart from his years of experience he has ridden in a number of other countries including Jamaica and North America. He was the top jockey in the Jamaican circuit for over two years.
This is his third trip to Guyana. He was here in 94, back again earlier this year and now to conquer the President’s Cup, which he stated was one of his biggest and most satisfying rides to date in Guyana. According to information he was specially flown into Guyana by the Habibulla and Simple Royal Stable for the recently concluded President’s Cup and immediately stamped his authority with excellent riding to be crowned champion jockey with three wins and a second including his crowning win in the feature President’s Cup event.

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy presents the champhion jockey trophy to Brian Harding (left) while Trophy Stall’s Ramesh Sunich (2nd left) looks on.

It was evident that Harding’s skills were superior among the other riders coming down to the finish. In all is wins he use his superior riding to go past his rivals or hold them at bay. Harding was adequately rewarded with beautiful trophy compliments of Ramesh Sunich, Proprietor of the Trophy Stall, Bourda market.
Three other top foreign jockeys were the race meet, namely, Andron Findley and Kevin Blake of Jamaica and Trinidadian A. Padmore.
Apart from the foreign jockeys, a number of overseas based Guyanese jockeys were also flown in which include Kumar Singh from USA, Michael Semple, St Kitts, and Barbados based Carl Liverpool. Another top overseas based rider Colin Ross, who came home earlier in the year, also from St Kitts, was injured at practice a recently and could not ride. (Samuel Whyte)