Four Jamaican jockeys finish in top 10 at Canadian track

Jamaican jockeys Shavon Townsend, Javaniel Patterson, Christopher Mamdeen and Neville Stephenson, all finished in the top 10 of the jockeys’ championship at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Canada where the 2026 season concluded on Wednesday night.

Townsend who was doing his second stint in Canada, enjoyed his best season so far by recording 25 wins from 151 mounts to finish fifth in the jockeys’ championship.

He booted home three winners over the last two race days, having scored the late daily double on Tuesday, before capturing the first event on Wednesday’s eight-race card, where he guided home the 5-2 chance Silver Spiced going six furlongs.

Patterson also enjoyed his best season in Canada since he began riding there in 2024.

He recorded 19 wins from 150 mounts to finish seventh in the standing.

Mamdeen who started out at Hastings in Vancouver in 2023 before moving Winnipeg for the start of this season, guided home 17 winners from 104 rides to finish joint eighth alongside compatriot Neville Stephenson, who has been riding in Canada for the past 21 years.

Barbadian Antonio Whitehall was crowned champion jockey with 51 wins from 235 rides.

Over in the United States, Jason Simpson enjoyed his best-ever season since he began riding there in 2012.

Simpson recorded 23 wins from 152 mounts to finish 15th among the 151 jockeys who rode at Thistledown in Ohio, where he landed a double as the season ended on Thursday.

Simpson captured the third event on the 11-race card astride the 6-1 chance Southern Dawn going six furlongs in the US$33,900 contest, before winning the seventh event aboard the 3-year-old dark bay filly Kingdom Of Fear at 11-1.

The Maiden Special Weight race was run over 6 furlongs for a purse of US $33,900.

Simpson who also rode at Mahoning Valley in Ohio and Mountaineer in West Virginia, had a total of 32 wins from 225 mounts across the United States this season.

Fernando Salazar Becerra topped the Thistledown standing with 67 wins.