3 weeks ago
14
Barely a year after receiving his grooming licence at Caymanas Park, Coby Anthony is calling being crowned the 2025 champion groom a dream come true.
Anthony, who works in the father-and-son barn of Ian Parsard and Peter-John Parsard, topped the standings with 27 winners and stakes earnings of $19,220,800 to secure his first groom’s title. He won comfortably ahead of Steven Smith, who finished second with 15 winners and earnings of $13,341,150, while Ferron Hall was third with 14 winners and $11,771,300 in stakes earnings.
The 21-year-old Anthony told The Gleaner that the title holds special meaning, especially given the challenges he faced in getting started.
“I am feeling happy about winning this title because this is my first year as a groom. I applied for the licence a long time ago but they never gave it to me, but this year (2025) I got it, and so I was able to win the championships,” said Anthony.
“It was a lot of hard work and dedication, because every morning you have to be up very early to take the horses to the track for workouts, and you have to also ensure that you take good care of your horses as well,” he said.
Anthony added that he was responsible for several horses throughout the season, including a number of claiming horses.
“I currently have RUM WITH ME, SIR JOHN, UNCLE PECK and a number of young horses, plus I also had a number of claiming horses during this year,” he noted.
Despite his strong season, Anthony stated that winning the championship caught him by surprise, as he never expected to emerge victorious at the end of the year.
“I was very surprised by this because I didn’t expect that I was going to win the championships, because I got my groom’s licence in March; but I put in a lot of hard work and dedication into this. When I come to the stable on Sundays, I sleep [there], and so I just go home one time per week,” he said.
However, Anthony admitted that racing has always been a part of his life, and he credits his upbringing around Caymanas Park for shaping his passion for horses.
“From I was born, (Caymanas Park) is the only place that I have seen my father, and so I have ‘horse blood’. From I was born, it is just horses my father has been dealing with, and also my uncle,” he said.
“I love horses because I could have dealt with different things, like fishing, but I chose not to because I just love horses,” he said.
Anthony pointed out that his exposure to the sport began at a very young age through his father and older brother, who are also grooms at Caymanas Park.
“I have been around horses from I was about 10 years old, because my father and brother are grooms. My brother was the groom for She’s A Maneater, so racing runs in my blood,” Anthony said.
He noted that after he was expelled from Greater Portmore High School at age 15, the racetrack became his full-time focus.
“When I got kicked (expelled) from Greater Portmore High School when I was 15 years old, from there I just came to track,” he said.
“In the future I would like to become a trainer, but for now I am learning more about the sport and horses and just continue to be the best that I can be,” said Anthony.
He also highlighted that his first career winner was Mahogany.
“My first winner was Mahogany in April of last year, because I used to look after him, but now has gone to the bush,” he said.
Robert Bailey
English (US) ·