Prized possession of the Family Affairs Stables, Honors, took home the top prize at the annual Boxing Day Horse races, held at the Ellis Thomas Downs, today, December 26. Honors defeated six others in the 7 Furlongs Open race bearing a massive head prize of $10,000.
Honor’s win came as a result of his rigorous training, in addition to the skills and tactics of his jockey, Jose Farrier, who has been a jockey for the last 32 years, with 5 years spent in the BVI.
(PLTM) - In an interview with BVI Platinum News, Farrier noted that he saw the shortfalls of the other racers and took advantage of them.
“For the first turn, I saw they were going really fast and moving too early. I didn't bother with these guys, I was well relaxing real good. We were comfortable," Farrier said.
He noted that he knew he and his companion, Honors, had won the race long before it finished, but noted that he was of a different mind before the race started.
“Things happen in races, things change every second. I know I was going to run good because he [Honors] was well relaxed.”
Notably, this is the first time, Farrier has ever raced on the back of Honors.
Honors, who is currently 4 going on 5 years old, has been in the BVI for the last year and a half, and has dominated in many races, specifically, he won six races and lost a mere three.
According to Honor’s trainer, Kelvin Thomas, with his track record and workout regime, his win comes as no shocker.
“The horses he ran against are some of the best horses in the Virgin Islands, so we know that he was capable of performing and he did that.”
Another highlight of the day was the 1 mile Open for Mares and Fillies, which saw an amazing performance by Rags To Riches of Notorious Housing who crossed the finish line first, disappointingly, without a jockey.
In this event, Rags to Riches was disqualified and Top Class Citizen of Thomasville Stables took home the win and a $5000 prize.
Other golds were earned by El Indultado of Brother’s Stable in the 6 ½ Furlongs for Class E Horses race; Gottcha Blessing, again of Brother’s Stable in the 7 Furlongs for Class C & D Horses race; and Totally Evil of Alliance Point in the 6 Furlongs Open.
-----
Copyright 2023 by Virgin Islands Platinum News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.