WINNIPEG, Canada – Antonio Whitehall continued to stretch his lead in the dying stages of the Assiniboia Downs season, reeling off a triple on the seven-race card here Monday.
Jockey Antonio Whitehall.The 29-year-old captured race three over a mile with 2-1 bet Explosive, race four over 7-½ furlongs with 2-1 bet Tara Tattoo before wrapping up his haul in the day’s finale over six furlongs with favorite Lipstick Lady.
Whitehall leads with 52 wins, 17 clear of his nearest challenger, fellow Barbadian Damario Bynoe, in the season which winds up next week.
Trinidadian Prayven Badrie also got in on the act with a brace, the 32-year-old winning the day’s opener aboard favorite Mourvedre going six furlongs, and following up in race two over 5-½ furlongs with 4-1 choice Something Super.
Another Trinidadian Ronaldo Ali produced a 1-¾ length score in race five over six furlongs with favourite Smart Call while fellow countryman Sven Balroop took race six over seven furlongs with 3-1 chance Deano, as Caribbean riders won every event on the card.
The headlines belonged to the enterprising Whitehall, however. After finishing second in race one with 2-1 chance Big Ticket and second in race two with 5-1 bet Mr Dazzle, he opened his account when he guided six-year-old gelding Explosive to a 3-¾ length win over the three-year-olds and upward.
Favorite Delvecchio, under Jamaican Chavion Chow, made nearly all the running before being overhauled in the stretch by Explosive.
Whitehall’s second win came when he brought four-year-old gelding Tara Tattoo from a stalking position to catch the front-runners and beat the three-year-olds and upward by 2-½ lengths.
He capped off the day when he combined with four-year-old chestnut filly Lipstick Lady to edge the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares by three-quarters of a length.
The pair were forced to duel through the early fractions with 5-1 chance Secret Avenger, ridden by Bynoe, before grabbing the lead on the late turn and drawing off in the stretch.
