Miscellaneous

Horse Racing in Jamaica: Past and Present

Horse racing is probably one of the oldest sports in the world today. It is known that as far back as 4 500 BC tribesmen were racing their horses on a less official basis than exists today. In later years it became a common sight to see horses and horse drawn carriages being raced against each other, however, horse racing only made its appearance in Jamaica some years later. It is said that the first horses to have set foot in Jamaica arrived in 1509 and that by the time the English annexed the island from the Spanish, horses were found roaming the Jamaican landscape in all regions.

Wild Again Laid to Rest

“We all knew this day would come, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accept,” an emotional Robert Clay commented in the wake of Wild Again being euthanized. “At 28 years old, he lived a long and fruitful life. Wild Again was integral to the success of Three Chimneys and proved to be a highly significant sire and broodmare sire both in the U.S. and abroad.” 5 December 2008 will be a date long remembered by all at Three Chimneys, as losing Wild Again has been a day they all have been dreading. But he has left behind a magnificent legacy and cherished memories for Clay and the horse racing industry.

Jockey Creates his Own Miracle

He is considered to be the best jockey in New Zealand, and someone who has a magnificent career ahead of him. After being taken under the wing of trainer Allan Sharrock, Michael Walker did his time as a general worker, but Sharrock saw potential in Walker and at the age of fifteen he was placed in the saddle, and began racing by the age of sixteen. As an apprentice jockey, Walker raked in an amazing one-hundred and thirty-one victories in his first year and went on to clock six-hundred and fifty-three wins for Sharrock. In 2004, and at the age of twenty, he completed his apprenticeship and became a jockey. But on 20 May 2008, tragedy struck.