Bocachica makes his mark with two-timer

CHARLES TOWN’s leading rider, Arnaldo Bocachica, rode two winners on his Caymanas Park debut yesterday, first booting home TUTS in the second event before closing the 10-race card with D HEAD CORNERSTONE in the Kenneth Mattis Memorial for overnight-allowance runners at nine furlongs and 25 yards.

Bocachica, whose elder brother by seven years, Orlando, had won the 2013 Jamaica Derby astride Wayne DaCosta’s Perfect Neighbour, opened his Caymanas Park account aboard TUTS, making all in the second event for older maidens at six and a half furlongs.

Bocachica created dual history aboard TUTS, handing trainer Adin Williams his 100th career win. Williams, a former protégé of many-time champion trainer Philip Feanny, won the 1995 St Leger with NIMROD and earned a place in local-racing history with MR LOVER LOVER, who landed the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes in 1996 and two derbies the following year, the Jamaica Derby and Royal Oak Derby at Santa Rosa Park, Trinidad and Tobago.

Bocachica brought down the curtains on September’s opening weekend of racing with a confident ride astride rejuvenated D HEAD CORNERSTONE, seemingly a transformed horse since changing barns from Gary Subratie to Peter-John Parsard after a dismal finish on July 20.

Usually slumming near the rear, D HEAD CORNERSTONE, taken to task at exercise by Parsard in weeks leading up to yesterday’s race and extensively warmed up by Bocachica, surprisingly raced third down the backstretch while ANTARCTICA, who led from the gate, was being chased by PROVOCATIVA.

Making his move with RAINSVILLE, who went after the leaders a half-mile out, D HEAD CORNERSTONE split horses coming off the home turn and powered clear to win by two and a half lengths at odds of 2-1, clocking 1:57.2.

POWER FROM ABOVE came from far behind in the stretch run to claim third place, never posing a threat to the first two past the post.

Journeyman jockey Paul Francis bagged three winners on the 10-race card, including a victory in the stewards’ room. Francis first had AAVA JAELYN defy the track bias from post-position two to cut down speedy ADENOSINE stealing home at five furlongs straight in the fourth.

Astride PRINCESS IFIYAH in the fifth at five and a half furlongs, Francis lost the stretch battle to MISS LYNTON with leading rider Tevin Foster. However, fortune smiled on Francis after Robert Halledeen, rider of third-past-the-post BAD INVESTMENT, lodged a jockey’s objection against MISS LYNTON, complaining that the winner had hindered his mount.

The stewards upheld Halledeen’s objection by taking down MISS LYNTON’s number, placing her third behind 10-1 outsider BAD INVESTMENT, handing Francis and PRINCESS IFIYAH the event

Youville Pinnock rode two winners, opening the card with 1-2 favourite NINA DORADA, hanging on by a nose to deny fast-finishing HEEZALION at five and a half furlongs. Pinnock returned to turn the Twilight 6 on its head with 36-1 stunner MAYA in the eighth at seven and a half furlongs.

Title-chasing rider Raddesh Roman upended hundreds of Reggae 6 bets in the third out the five-straight chute astride 9-1 outsider, DESIGN DIVA, beating even-money favourite CHERRY BLOSSOM with Foster astride.

However, Foster ensured that his four-win lead over Roman remained intact by making all with Jason DaCosta’s4-1 chance, COMEHOMETOME, in the Winston Griffiths Classic at nine and a half furlongs.