Roman produces brilliant ride to land Typewriter Cup

RADDESH ROMAN brought down the house with a thrilling victory astride Gary Subratie’s United States-bred SISTREN TREASURE, outfinishing jockeys’ title rival Tevin Foster aboard MONEY MISER by a short head in the closing event for the Typewriter Cup over seven and a half furlongs at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Joint favourites at odds of 2-1 with Foster on 99 wins and Roman, 98, after his unanswered eight winners in two meets had pulled him level entering yesterday’s nine-race card, the stage was set for a battle royal between the leading riders.

Turning for home against the rail in fourth place, bearing down on I REALISE and LABAN with PRESS CONFERENCE three-wide, MONEY MISER got first run on the leaders. However, SISTREN TREASURE was only a tail away in fifth place, begging for racing room between horses.

Foster unleashed MONEY MISER coming off the turn to briefly hit the front, seemingly well set to reach 100 winners after earlier booting home 1-5 favourite SONOGRAM in the opening event at five furlongs straight.

However, SISTREN TREASURE, fitted with a figure eight for the first time in 26 starts, accelerated rapidly a furlong and a half out, splitting LABAN and I REALISE to point on battling MONEY MISER. Foster instinctively switched to left-handed whipping to have MONEY MISER meet SISTREN TREASURE in mid-track, but the foreigner proved too strong under Roman’s urgings, repelling the local-bred’s rally.

SIXTH WIN

SISTREN TREASURE clocked 1:32.4 for the trip, recording her sixth win, after a fourth-place finish behind stablemate D HEAD CORNERSTONE at nine furlongs and 25 yards on September 8.

Roman’s supporters went wild after the event, especially after his ‘cut-throat’ gesticulation, signifying a victory that pulled him level on 99 winners, both jockeys on the cusp of history to becoming the first pair to ride 100 winners in the history of local racing.

Meanwhile, visiting Panamanian Victor Sanchez and claiming rider Shane Richardson shared honours with two-timers on the nine-race card.

Richardson closed the $31,033 Reggae 6 payout with a two-timer, SPEEDIE HARE and MS CHERRY.

SPEEDIE HARE made all at five furlongs straight, Richardson being a passenger for the first three furlongs before asking the speedster to quicken away at a king’s ransom of 5-2.

Sceptical bettors watched as Richardson dismounted quickly after passing the winning post, loosening the girth to assist an exhausted SPEEDIE HARE, who had to be doused with water to aid in recovery after leaving the winners’ enclosure.

Aboard MS CHERRY at four furlongs straight, Richardson angled the Sensational Slam-Fiftyshadesofray filly to mid-track from post-position three, outfinishing INDESTRUCTIBLE, who had the benefit of the track bias from stall 10 but was not strong enough to match the 6-5 favourite in the rush for the wire.

Sanchez notched wins with 3-2 chance PRINCESS TIFFANY in the third and went gate-to-wire aboard DON PABLO at 52 in the eighth at six furlongs.

Racing continues at the weekend with a Saturday-Sunday meet.