3 minute read
Even when things don’t seem to go his way, jockey Oscar Chavez still manages to bounce back to keep his current red-hot form going.
The Panamanian hoop began Sunday’s meeting in good fashion with a win aboard favourite Super Joy, but soon came face-to-face with racing’s ups-and-downs when he fell off Yue Yuan in Race 7 shortly after the start.
Chavez was seen losing his balance from the Steven Lam-trained gelding and unable to avoid the fall, which luckily saw him quickly get up on his feet to walk back to the jockey’s room with just a bit of wounded pride. Ironically, Lam went on to land the race with his other horse Happy Joy who was ridden by Chavez’s phonetically similar namesake, Elione Chaves.
Though he was copping that mishap with his usual humour, Chavez later realised he would later ride through the pain barrier. Riding second favourite ($21) Smart People in the $60,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m, Chavez had the race under a vice-like grip when the Duke Of Marmalade five-year-old kept working strongly to the line after enjoying a rather cheap lead.
But Chavez then had the misfortune of losing his whip as he went for the first hit with his right hand at the 200m. No stick, not to worry, the horseman quickly resorted to the natural aid he was blessed with instead, his right hand, even if the latent remnants from the previous fall were starting to kick in.
“My left shoulder was in pain and then I lost my whip, but I just used my hand to slap him (Smart People) on the right shoulder,” he said.
“Luckily, it did the job. This horse has been coming back to form again and he was never in doubt today.”
On his tumble, Chavez just shrugged it off as one of those awkward starts that can catch any jockey off-guard.
“The horse was laying badly and that’s how the side of the barrier brushed off my right iron which then caused me to put more pressure on the left side,” said Chavez.
“I just slid off, I tried to hang on but it was impossible. Anyway, that’s racing, but overall, I couldn’t be happier with the way things are panning out for me.
“I am working hard and I’m getting much better rides than I have ever got before. My strike rate (13.9%) is the best I’ve ever had for a long time.”
The Alwin Tan-trained Smart People was chalking up his fifth win from 16 outings for stakes earnings past the $130,000 mark for his owner, Madam Lim Chooi Yik.