3 minute read

Australia was heading towards a quiet day at the office at the first leg of the two-day Mauritius International Jockeys’ Weekend on Saturday when jockey Noel Callow came at the eleventh hour to salute in the very last race aboard the well-tried Please To Progress.

By the penultimate event of the eight-race programme, neither Callow nor his Team Southern Hemisphere teammate Hugh Bowman had entered the winner’s circle, though the former had fared much better of the two Australian jockeys, with one second and two fourths to his record while Bowman, who was at his first Mauritius experience, unfortunately drew a blank (out of the placings in four rides).

But Callow would not have left the Champ de Mars track without rewarding his legion of Mauritian fans with the moment they had been waiting for: A win, never mind if the fillip came late into the proceedings.

Settling the well-fancied Please To Progress in fifth on the rails in the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation Challenge Cup, Callow bided his time before calling upon his mount at the top of the straight for a trademark finish that has enthralled the Mauritian crowd on no less than 15 occasions during his three-month tenure for the Gujadhur Stable this year.

“Things were not looking too good as we were trailing for a while even after (captain) Johnny (Geroudis) won a race,” said Callow.

“I myself had to wait until the last race to ride a winner, but it’s all good as that win has now kept us in the race.

“It’s going to be an exciting finale tomorrow as the four teams are all very close to each other, from what I was told.

“Hughie didn’t draw the best of rides today and I’m sure he’ll do better tomorrow.”

Callow, who has now tallied up 15 points (nine points for a win, four points for one second and one point twice for two fourths), puts himself in fourth spot on the individual log, only five points behind French ace Olivier Peslier who rode a winning double aboard Darcy’s Arcy and Cassido.

With Geroudis (this year’s Mauritius champion jockey) having scored 13 points (he won one race aboard Accelero in Race 5), Team Southern Hemisphere sits in third spot on the Team log on 28 points, but only one point behind joint-leaders Team Mauritius and Team Rest of the World.

With the fourth team Team France bringing up the rear on 26 points, the four teams will tackle tomorrow’s eight-race programme tightly bunched up for a riveting title-decider.

Jockey Leaderboard

1. Olivier Peslier (Team France) 20 points

2. Christophe Soumillon (Team Rest of the World) 17 points

3. Nooresh Juglall (Team Mauritius) 16 points

4. Noel Callow (Team Southern Hemisphere) 15 points

5. Karis Teetan (Team Mauritius) 13 points

6. Johnny Geroudis (Team Southern Hemisphere) 13 points

7. Mickael Barzalona (Team Rest of the World) 8 points

8. Maxime Guyon (Team France) 5 points

9. William Buick (Team Rest of the World) 4 points

10. Stephane Pasquier (Team France) 1 point

11. Rai Joorawon (Team Mauritius) 0 point

12. Hugh Bowman (Team Southern Hemisphere) 0 point

Team Leaderboard

1. Mauritius 29 points

1. Rest of the World 29 points

3. Southern Hemisphere 28 points

4. France 26 points