Local jockeys' championship ends in anti-climatic tie

There will be a tie for the local jockey's championship for the first time in 50 years at Caymanas Park. There's an anti-climatic end to this year's title race as joint leaders Dane Nelson and Anthony Thomas, have both been ruled out of action for Saturday and Sunday's race programmes.

It's understood that Thomas who won the title in 2018, has been given three days' sick leave due to food poisoning, while 3-time champion Nelson who fell from one of his mounts on Wednesday's programme, is said to be nursing a groin injury and has also been ruled out for this weekend.

Both riders are tied atop the table on 84 wins each, and as a result, this year's championship will be shared.

In 1970, Panamanian Jose Bravo and Jamaican Richard Depass ended in a dead heat for the jockeys' championhip, having ridden 53 winners each after Depass won the very last race on the final race programme.

Meanwhile, St Leger winner and Derby runner-up Nipster underlined his claim as the leading contender for this year's Horse of the Year title after landing the inaugural running of the Ian Levy Cup, a $4.5 million Open Allowance/Graded Stakes event over 8-and-a-half furlongs.

Nipster who went off at 3-1 and was guided by Robert Halledeen, sat off the early fractions set by the speedy Roy Rogers before mounting a challenge in deep stretch to overahaul the 4-5 favourite Mahogany who faded into fourth, as Nipster's stable companion Sentient and Toona Ciliata completed the frame. Nipster recorded 1:43.3 to win by seven lengths.

Jockey Javaniel Patterson had a double on the 10-race card, while there were two wins each for trainers Phillip Feanny and Ryan Darby.