Peter Bryan making his mark

By Cliff Williams, Contributor

Peter Bryan - Rudolph Brown

JOCKEY Peter Bryan's incredible double on last weekend's card is ample evidence that this rider along with certain others are determined to improve their status and professionalism.

Getting a chance mount as a replacement for Kerry Perry aboard the Bernard Vincent trained Valley of Kings in the co-feature Joseph Ashenhiem Memorial Bowl over 2000 metres or ten furlongs, Bryan was a supremely confident performer aboard a horse who is in form but had not shown this level of ability for two years.

The odds of 19-1 against Valley of Kings winning is testimony to the fact this horse had more than a bit to find in terms of recent class but the skill and patience of Bryan ensured that the six-year-old outstayed his rivals.

Again we saw Bryan at his best when he piloted home Philip Feanny's Body and Soul at 7-2 odds in the Dr. Jim Morrison Trophy over 1300 metres or 6 1/2 furlongs. This make does not generally get away from the starting gates clearly and in her previous engagement reared but still managed to finish a close third to potential champion Diablo forever.

On this occasion there was a clean break by the alert Bryan and the mare was able to score over a journey significantly short of her best. This is quite a remarkable performance coming from a jockey whose career was off to a disastrous start when his first victory did not materialise until nearly a year after his first ride.

During those days he was mocked and jeered by the hopelessly impatient Caymanas crowd and was ridiculed on several occasions by the unsympathetic fans. Clearly Bryan never lost sight of his goals and has persevered until he has now acquired the confidence and the recognition of the top trainers. Obviously they are impressed with his honesty and hard work.

Apparently current champion Shane Ellis and former many time leading rider Andrew Ramgeet will be away for an extended period and this will present a lot more opportunities to the ones here that are likely to make full use of it. Incidentally both Ellis in Canada and Ramgeet in Florida have caught the attention of one or two important owners and trainers and their respective careers are heading in the right direction.

When I first looked at the jockeys colony four months ago when Ellis and Ramgeet departed I had absolutely no reason to think that certain other riders, given enough opportunities, could not transform themselves into the genuine articles. The fact of the matter is that many of them have impressed in no uncertain terms.

Wesley Henry is the top man at the moment but his superiority is reflected more satisfactorily than what is happening actually on the racetrack. In fact, in the aforementioned, Peter Bryan along with Kenyatta Davis, Ramon Parish, Kerry Perry, Richard Mitchell, Larris Allen and Devon S. Thomas, Henry has some and determined challengers for the spotlight.

Despite a few important results not going his way recently Charles Hussey in terms of form and experience is just about the best jockey at the moment especially since Winston Griffiths is not as active as his many fans would like to see. Still he landed a double a couple of weeks ago which demonstrated that if he recommits himself to the profession he would be as good as ever.

The fact of the matter is that horseracing as a spectacle and a commercial exercise depends heavily on the professionalism of the jockey as much as anything else for viability. A strong jockey colony has a decided influence on the turnover at the parimutuel, particularly if the betting public has confidence in the integrity of these little athletes. From a marketing point of view the riders' ability is a very strong selling factor, and our young riders should be given every encouragement to become top level exponents of this age old art of jockeyship.

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