by George
Jockey Dane Nelson won four races including the Hazel Wright Sire Stakes on Saturday night, overshadowing a hat trick by former leading rider Rohan Singh, and trainer Jim Compton lost both horses he ran in claiming races.
They both won.
Nelson started off the night with a pace-forcing win aboard recent claim Zensound ($4.80) in the $25,000 Hazel Wright Sire Stakes for trainer Jim Donley. The 3-year-old filly by Quest-Betabelle by Dehere was claimed out of her previous start by Black N Blue Racing Stable for $5,000 and returned immediate dividends for her new owners with first place prize money of $15,000.
Nelson also took the third race aboard Tin Pan Andy ($9.10) for trainer Tom Gardipy Jr. the fourth aboard Baloch Or ($8.90) for trainer Murray Duncan, and capped off a stellar performance on the evening by winning the eighth race on Cat’s Classy Rider ($4.50) for trainer Jim Compton.
Former leading rider Rohan Singh also had a good night, winning the second race on Thunder Girl ($11.50) for trainer Blair Miller, the fifth aboard Major Sugarattack ($9.20) for trainer Elton Dickey and the seventh on favourite Stone Cold Classy ($3.00) for trainer Jared Brown.
All other jockeys except for Tyrone Nelson were shut out on the eight-race card. T. Nelson won the sixth race aboard Got a Stash ($7.40) for Compton.
The unassuming Compton ships horses up to Assiniboia Downs from South of the border on a regular basis and wins much more than his share, but this time he’ll be going home with an empty horse trailer. His sixth race winner Got a Stash was claimed for $2,500 by trainer Tom Gardipy Jr. for Black Diamond Stable, and his eighth race winner Cat’s Classy Rider was haltered for $10,000 by trainer Elton Dickey for Let Er Rip Stable.
Compton might not feel too bad about losing Cat’s Classy Rider. He certainly got his money’s worth after claiming the now 6-year-old gelding for $7,500 last fall. Cat’s Classy Rider won six of his eight starts for Compton and earned over $40,000 for the sharp horseman who trains off his farm.
So Compton heads back south with $12,500 in claiming money and $11,100 in purse money for a total of $23,600, minus whatever he had to pay someone to pony and paddock his horses. The money is nice, but for Compton, we’re guessing…
it will be a lonely ride home.