Barbadian jockeys Rico Walcott and Antonio Whitehall ended in two of the top three places in the standings at the Century Mile racetrack.
To the disappointment of many, the final race day of the season on Sunday was abandoned because of unsafe track conditions after heavy snowfall.
The 29-year-old Walcott, the leading reinsman in western Canada over the last decade, led the jockeys’ standings with 68 wins for a winning percentage of 33.33 and led the total earnings table with CAN $616,229.
Walcott was a multiple champion jockey at the now-defunct Northlands Park, and this is his first title at the racing oval located next door to the Edmonton International Airport.
The 26-year-old Whitehall finished third with 43 wins – three behind Rigo Sarmiento of Venezuela – but he was second on the total earnings table with CAN $465,100.
He is a contender for the title of Canada’s leading jockey for the year, having bagged 117 wins for 2020.
Whitehall is, however, expected to be overtaken by Justin Stein and Rafael Hernandez, two jockeys based at Woodbine, Canada’s primary racetrack.
It is not clear if Whitehall will ride at any other tracks in Canada for the remainder of the year, but the Century Mile season has now ended.
Woodbine, on the other hand, races four days a week and their meet ends on December 13.
Whitehall was able to ride at two racetracks at this year. He was able to achieve this because Assiniboia Downs in the central Canadian city of Winnipeg raced on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays before its season closed in September, and Century Mile raced on Fridays and Sundays.
Final jockeys’ standings
1 Rico Walcott (BB) 68 wins
2 Rigo Sarmiento 46
3 Antonio Whitehall (BB) 43
4 Anastasios Chalaris 25
5 Wilmer Galviz 22
6 Silvino Morales 18
7 Mauricio Malvaez 16
8 Rey Williams (BB) 14
9 Enrique Gonzalez 14
10 Rafael Zenteno Jr 14
CMC
