Stakes win for Jamaica's Stephenson

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (CMC):

Neville Stephenson led a Caribbean 1-2-3, when he landed his second stakes win for the season with Honorary Girl in the CDN $6,500 Sales Stakes on Saturday at Marquis Downs.

The victory was one of two for the Jamaican on the eight-race card that moved his aggregate for the season to seven, which puts him fourth in the jockeys' standings behind Tim Moccasin (24), and the Trinidad and Tobago pair of Naim Samaroo (21) and Lorne Keizer (13).

Samaroo also landed a double, and Keizer got a single victory.

Stephenson drove favourite Honorary Girl to a 51/2-length victory in the feature race - the second on the card - running 1,400 metres on the dirt.

He was unhurried early on the three-year-old bay filly before making a steady advance vying for the lead and moving away in the stretch to clock one minute 30.58 seconds.

Stephenson was also successful when he rode 5-1 chance Northern Missile to a half-length victory in the CDN $4,300 seventh race over 1,200m.

He settled Northern Missile in a good position to stalk the pace, and closed with a rush for the six-year-old, dark bay gelding to sprint to a time of 1 min 15.29 secs.

Samaroo had back-to-back victories in the CDN $3,200 third race over 1,600m, and the CDN $3,000 fourth race, going 1,200m.

He won with the six-year-old, dark bay mare End Result by one length in a time of 1 min 45.87 secs in the third, and took the fourth on the four-year-old, chestnut colt Firered Song by a comfortable four lengths in 1 min 17.15 secs.

Keizer followed with a 41/2-length victory in the CDN $3,600 sixth race over 1,600m with the 11-year-old, dark bay gelding At A Boy Luther in a time of 1 min 44.25 secs.