19 new apprentices graduate from Jockeys Training School

Richard Longmore, general manager of the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), said he is expecting great things from this year's graduating of class of apprentices.

Nineteen apprentices graduated from the Jockeys Training School on Thursday, during a ceremony, which was held at the JRC head office in Kingston.

Among the 19 apprentices were two females participants, Samantha Fletcher and Tamicka Lawrence.

Longmore said he is very pleased with the overall development of the apprentices because they have prepared well.

"I am feeling very good because the turnout was excellent and for the most part these apprentices did very well and I am proud of them," said Longmore.

"We did a more aggressive riding schedule were we had two sets of professional jockeys training them," he said.

"We also shipped down an equaliser machine and so persons were able to ride beside each other. We also took them through the motions as if they were in a live race and so we saw where that particular aspect of it made some difference and we hope that they will be rewarded," Longmore said.

Beverly Lawrence, principal of the Jockeys Training School and welfare officer at Caymanas Park, said the apprentices have done extremely well in the six months training programme and she is expecting good things from them.

"It was a good course," said Lawrence. "We started out with 22 participants and one fell out of it because of illness and two were not at this ceremony and so we finished with 21," she said.

"They did very well because they are fully rounded and so they just need to go on the track now and do their thing and I am hoping to see them out there doing their best," Lawrence said. "We also had remedial classes for them including mathematics and English and they did well."

| The other apprentices are, Jordan Barrett, Matthew Bennett, Carlos Blake, Jawani Forbes, Tevin Foster, Gordon Gregory, Roger Hewitt, Reyan Lewis, Christopher Mamdeen, Kiaman McGregor, Shane Richardson, Raddesh Roman, Daniel Satchell, Romario Smith, Romario Spencer, Daniel Thompson and Shavon Townsend.