Designated Hitter (inside) and Javaniel Patterson hold off Totalizer and Rachaad Knights in the third race on Wednesday. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo)
By G.S. Thompson
The public was especially sharp this week at ASD, as the first or second choices on the tote board won 11 of 14 races. It was a field day for chalk players, not so much for longshot hunters, although there were a few gems, like Brinson ($18.70) in the fifth race on Wednesday.
The hot trainer of the week was Mike Nault, who scored a hat trick with Best of Greeley on Tuesday followed by Tap the Parlay and Under Budget on Wednesday. Leading trainer Steve Keplin, Jr. won a pair of races, as did Carl Anderson and Wendy Anderson, but Keplin remained well in front of his nearest chaser in the standings by a count of 30-20 over Mike Nault. Jared Brown, Wendy Anderson, Jerry Gourneau, and Tom Gardipy, Jr. were all tied for third with 14 wins apiece.
Burn Jakey Burn in the winner’s circle after winning the second race on Wednesday, In Honour of David Blake, for trainer Wendy Anderson. Ronald Ali up. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo)
Shavon Townsend led all jockeys with three wins on the week followed by Damario Bynoe and Javaniel Patterson with two wins apiece. Bynoe’s two victories kept him in front in the standings by a score of 32-29 over Antonio Whitehall and Prayven Badrie, followed by Sven Balroop with 28 wins and Rachaad Knights with 18. Badrie was knocked out for the season last week after injuring his hip in a morning training accident, which appears to leave Whitehall and Bynoe to battle at the top, but Balroop is also riding well, and could upset the applecart.
Someone else who is booting home winners but going relatively unnoticed is Javaniel Patterson, who returned from a broken shoulder to win on his first mount on the same day that Badrie was injured. Patterson’s first mount back was Captive Kitten ($32.60) for trainer Victoria Morse on August 5, and that winner triggered a $1 Pick 4 payout of $22,913.95.
Zibibbo and Javaniel Patterson win the first race on Tuesday. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo)
Patterson has since won on Thusly Inspired ($4.20) for trainer Lise Pruitt, Zibibbo ($3.20) for trainer Carl Anderson, and Designated Hitter ($11.40), also for Anderson. He gets the Ride of the Week Award for winning aboard Designated Hitter, who won the third race on Wednesday. It was poetry in motion.
He stalked a forced pace inside, and when confronted by a wall of horses in late turn, Patterson deftly guided Designated Hitter through an opening between horses at just the right time, taking over passing the sixteenth pole, and gamely holding off a hard-charging Totalizer to the wire.
Designated Hitter and Javaniel Patterson are led into the winner’s circle after winning the third race on Wednesday. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo)
And he did it on a packed Girls Night Out at ASD, which meant even louder cheers. Girls Night Out has been a huge success so far, and it’s only going to get better, as is Patterson.
Girls Night Out has been a tremendous success and will continue to run Wednesday evenings. (Jason Halstead / Assiniboia Photo)
Rumours were that this young man had talent, and he’s only just starting to get a chance to show it. The 32-year-old Jamaican won 13 races here last year before an injury caused a premature end to his season, and has won with four of his 13 mounts since jumping back in the saddle this year. A winner of over 200 races in his native Jamaica, including a classic, Patterson is starting to show owners, trainers and bettors what he can do, and he appears to have tremendous upside.
Catch him on some longshots while you can.