Jockey Roman moves closer to leader Foster

TITLE-chasing jockey Raddesh Roman yesterday booted home a three-timer including Rowan Mathie’s1-5 favourite WALL STREET TRADER in the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission Trophy feature event, inching to five wins behind leading rider Tevin Foster, who rode two winners on the eight-race card in their battle atop the jockeys’ standings.

Stalking the pace being set by JAGUAR, with whom WALL STREET TRADER shares the same owner, Vincent Maine, Roman kept the five-year-old American gelding off the fray while JOY IS GOLDEN and A GIFT FROM BEN raced as a team in chase of the leader.

Cruising in fourth place while changing his goggles, Roman straightened against the rail with full-of-running WALL STREET TRADER, who quickly collared JAGUAR a furlong and a half out, sprinting clear inside the last half-furlong.

Technically down in class after finishing fourth behind grade-one runners ABILITY and I AM FRED in the six-furlong I’msatisfied Trophy late May, WALL STREET TRADER won like an out-of-class horse should, beating JOY IS GOLDEN by almost a dozen lengths in 1:07.1 at five and a half furlongs.

Roman, who started the day on 72 winners after a successful appeal against DESERT OF MALIBU’s April 13 disqualification, wasted no time in his relentless chase of Foster, opening the programme at a mile aboard come-from-behind winner TIGERAMEDAT.

Foster responded in the second event with champion trainer Jason DaCosta’s MISSMONEYPENNY, top-seller at last November’s TOBA Mixed Sale at $4.2 million, making all with the 1-5 favourite at three furlongs straight among two-year-old debutants in the BGLC-TOBA Juvenile Dash at three furlongs straight.

A half-sister to Secret Identity, who won the War Zone Sprint in 2021 and reached open allowance as a four-year-old with five wins in 2022, MISSMONEYPENNY earned almost a half of her purchase price in the first event of the 2024-25 BGLC-TOBA Millionaires Series.

The 15-race BGLC-TOBA Millionaires Series, spread over four categories of two- and three-year-old horses, rewards winning owners with $1 million per race had their charge being bought through the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association of Jamaica, either its annual Mixed Sale or by private treaty.

Foster was also aboard DaCosta’s second winner on the card, going all the way with CAPTAIN FANTASTIC at six furlongs among three-year-old maidens.

However, back-to-back Mathie winners by Roman, starting with a chance ride astride four-year-old maiden CRUZINN AGAIN for Rowan Mathie Jr, followed by his father’s WALL STREET TRADER, kept the title chase between the first-time aspirants within touching distance heading into tomorrow’s Jamaica Oaks Day, the second meet of the Emancipendence holiday weekend of racing, which closes on Tuesday with the Jamaica Derby.