Hastings Racecourse: Winter in Arizona beckons, but B.C.'s a fertile ground for Kerron Khelawan

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A brilliant ride by Kerron Khelawan aboard the Pat Jarvis-trained Diocles might have been the difference in a thrilling rendition of the $50,000 Sir Winston Churchill at Hasting Racecourse Monday. The final margin was a head over What’s Shakin and there were five horses on the wire separated by just three-quarters of a length.

Diocles broke sharply and Khelawan eased him off the pace while saving ground. The B.C.-bred son of Counterforce started to make his presence known at the quarter-pole where Khelawan was hoping for the rail to open up. It didn’t and the 28-year-old jockey made a nice move to get Diocles off the rail turning for home and he found a spot between a wall of horses.

“I was a bit lucky,” said Khelawan. “A lot of times horses drift off the rail on the stretch turn, and when there was nowhere to go, I was thrilled to find an opening.”

Luck may have had something to do with the narrow victory by Diocles, but Khelawan has been making a name for himself at Hastings where he sits second in the jockey standings behind Amadeo Perez. His 26.67 winning percentage is the best at the current meet.

Khelawan made a short visit to Hastings in 2017 but didn’t ride many horses and didn’t return until 2022 when he won 10 races. He had his picture taken 22 times last year and he figures to improve greatly on the 28 wins he’s had so far this season.

Khelawan learned how to ride horses on his grandfather’s farm in Trinidad and Tobago and began his riding career at 16. He was the leading apprentice in Trinidad and came close to winning the Triple Crown there in 2019.

“I won the first two and finished second in the final leg,” said Khelawan who is starting to feel at home at Hastings. He is represented by longtime jockey agent Gordon Rumble.

“It’s a lot harder riding here than on a mile track and I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it,” he said. “Plus, I have a great agent. He really knows what he’s doing, and I never really talk to Gordie about who to ride. He did ask me to choose between Diocles and What’s Shakin, though, and I am happy I made the right choice.”

Khelawan rode What’s Shakin to victory in a maiden race July 12 in just his third start. At 40-1 in the Churchill, the son of Railis came close to posting a huge upset for trainer Cindy Krasner. He appears to have a bright future.

As for Khelawan, he plans to ride at Turf Paradise this winter before returning to Hastings next year.

“Racing in Trinidad is not what it used to be, so I want to give Turf Paradise a shot,” he said.

It’s never easy breaking into a new track, so it’s hard to say what kind of success Khelawan will have in Arizona. We know he will have plenty of live mounts when he returns to Vancouver next year.

Dog days are here

There will be a large and enthusiastic crowd at Hastings Saturday as the first Dog Days of Summer will take place. Wiener Dogs are featured Saturday with Corgis being the stars of the show Sept. 6.

Friday selections: First post 7 p.m.

Race 3: Rick’s Dancer has never gone this far but he has the pedigree for the assignment, and the past five years his trainer Rob Maybin has a 19% strike rate with horses going a mile or longer for the first time.

Saturday selections: First post 2:30 p.m.

Race 5: Foothills Blvd. is heading in a positive direction for trainer Edgar Mendoza and with a lot of speed in the field, the race could set up nicely for the lightly raced three-year-old filly. Antonio Reyes bails to ride Licorice but no complaints with Khelawan taking over.

Race 7: Nine One One appears to be the speed of the speed and could be sitting on a big effort in his third start this year for trainer Rob Gilker. He doesn’t need the lead, though, and if Cerebro gets the jump on him, Khelawan can ease him into a stalking position.

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