Bryan, Nelson headline six Caribbean wins at Century Mile

EDMONTON, Alberta (CMC):

Caribbean jockeys, led by Barbadian Desmond Bryan and Jamaican Dane Nelson, won all but two races on Sunday’s programme at the Century Mile racetrack in Canada.

Bryan kick-started his season and led the way with a triple, reigning champion Nelson added a pair, and track newcomer Rasheed Hughes, another Barbadian, logged the other win on the eight-race card at the main racing facility in western Canada.

Nelson, a four-time Jamaica champion jockey, was the first in the frame when odds-on favourite Bootiful Rose won by 2-1/2 lengths in the $14, 500 claiming second race over 1100 metres on the dirt course.

Bootiful Rose quickly set the pace and responded to a looming threat from Mohaymen Day, under Barbadian jockey Kyle Carter, before Nelson edged the four-year-old, chestnut filly clear and was kept on light handling to reach the wire in one minute, 05.05 seconds.

Bryan then proved his riding skills when the 26-1 rank long-shot Vantasticcanaveral won by a neck in the $15,500 claiming third race also over 1100 metres on the dirt course.

Hughes interjected to get his first win of the season with a comfortable 6-1/2 lengths win on the 9-1 chance Oops and Down in the $25,000 maiden special weight fourth race over 1 100 metres on the dirt course.

Oops and Down vied between the frontrunners for the early lead and gained it through the turn before the three-year-old, bay filly drifted out wide through the stretch under firm handling from Hughes and drew away to clock 1:05.77.

Bryan followed up with a comfortable 9-1/4 lengths win aboard the 7-1 chance Bakfire Baby in the $12,000 claiming fifth race over five furlongs on the dirt course.

Bakfire Baby was quickest to the turn, and the six-year-old, dark bay mare drew away in the stretch for an easy victory in 59.39 seconds.

Bryan again had to dig deep to collect his fourth win of the season astride the 16-1 rank outsider The Beat that won by half-length in the $17,500 claiming sixth race over 1100 metres on the dirt course.

He sat The Beat mid-pack and rallied his mount on the outside of Bare Back Jack, under Nelson, before the six-year-old, bay gelding matched strides late and inched clear to finish in 1:05.45.

Nelson returned to land a two-length win on the 8-5 favourite Smash Factor in the $12,000 claiming eighth and final race over six furlongs on the dirt course that gave him his fourth success for the season.