Bowen bags two at Golden Gate

SAN FRANCISCO – Barbadian Rocco Bowen completed a rare double at Golden Gate Fields here Sunday, but remained in single digits in the jockeys standings, with a month left in the short Autumn season.

The 28-year-old clinched victories in the first two races on the day’s nine-race card, scoring with 10-1 outsider Obliterate before returning to win with favourite Trust N Liberty.

Bowen, the two-time reigning champion at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington, has eight wins from 78 for the season, which got under way October 19 and ends December 10. Juan Hernandez and Frank Alvarado both top the standings with 17 wins.

Bowen opened his account in a five-furlong sprint when he piloted bay colt Obliterate to a 1-1/4 length victory over the two-year-old maidens.

He raced Obliterate off the pace set by the duelling Be So Lucky and Bold Charmant before wearing down the leaders in the stretch run and prevailing by 1-1/4 lengths.

Going a mile in race two, Bowen produced a sterling stretch rally with another bay colt Trust N Liberty, to edge the two-year-old maidens by half length.

Two-to-one bet Take Charge Deputy posted the early fractions with Iwishiwaspecial chasing in second, and Bowen and Trust N Liberty languishing near the rear.

However, he rallied the colt on the second turn and hit the front in mid-stretch before staving off the fast-finishing Hell Toupee, to win comfortably.

Meanwhile, Jamaican jockey Rajiv Maragh was at his clinical best as he partnered with 7-2 chance Bee Noteworthy to dominate the US$125 000 New York Stallion Series Stakes at Aqueduct in Queens.

Going seven furlongs in race eight, Maragh raced the five-year-old bay mare off the pace before unleashing a furious stretch rally to breeze by the leaders and reached the wire 5-1/4 lengths clear in a time of one minute, 25.36 seconds.

The victory was one of two on the nine-race card for Maragh as he also won race six, when he carried 7-1 chance Great Stuff to a length-win over the three-year-olds and upwards going a mile. (CMC)