Kirk Ziadie

miami, florida (cmc)

Jamaican trainer Kirk Ziadie collected three victories this past weekend to maintain a clear lead in the Calder trainers' championship race.

Ziadie, who captured his first ever championship title with victory at the Tropical at Calder meet in January, scored wins on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

He has 30 victories for the season so far and is enjoying a six-win lead over multiple former champion William White (24).

Ziadie captured Friday's ninth race with the 3-to-1 second favourite Shadow Belle, jockey David Cardoso steering the six-year-old mare to victory by 3-3/4 lengths in the US$16,000 seven-furlong race in a time of one minute 25.39 seconds.

Kirk's father, Ralph Ziadie, a Hall of Fame trainer in Florida, was also in the winners' row Friday.

The multiple Calder champion trainer won the US$18,000 third race over 1-1/16th miles with his three-year-old gelding Andycat.

Top jockey Manoel Cruz was astride for the win by 3-3/4 lengths in 1:48.84.

Ziadie, who took the Tropical at Calder meet title with 25 wins over six months ago, secured his lone Saturday victory in the US$8,500 ninth race over seven furlongs with the 8-5 favourite Louis Le Grand, the five-year-old gelding scoring by half-length in 1:25.70

On Sunday, Ziadie secured one of three Jamaican victories on the 11-race card.

Ziadie's win came in the US$26,000 10th race over a mile and 70 yards with Holiday Moment (3-1) by two lengths under jockey Jose Ortiz, scoring by in 1:45.72.

Jamaican trainer Jose Pinchin won the US$26,000 sixth race when his six-year-old horse Ho Ho Ho scored a good front-running victory under jockey Elvis Trujillo.

Ho Ho Ho won by three lengths and covered the 1-1/16th-mile trip in one minute 42.53 seconds.

And in the US$17,000 eleventh race over a mile, the three-year-old filly CC Glider won by 12-1/4 lengths for trainer Cleveland Suckie, a veteran Jamaican horseman.

Edilberto Dominguez piloted CC Glider to the huge win in a time of 1:42.61.