General, sporting, and business news for Malta and the surrounding region http://www.timesofmalta.com/ http://www.timesofmalta.com/img/tom_new_logo_small.png http://www.timesofmalta.com/ en Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0200 http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130520/horse-racing/Okilaibo-Odedjalo-prevail-in-Premier-heats.470477

Okilaibo and Odedjalo won yesterday’s two main events, the Prix de Vincennes heats for French trotters from the Premier category, on a short distance of 2,140m. These heats formed part of the 21st meeting of the season which was comprised 10 races. From the two Premier heats, 12 horses moved into the semi-finals. In the first, Mont Cenis Honey (Clint Vassallo) and Okilaibo (Julian Farrugia) sprinted neck-and-neck midway through the home straight. It was Okilaibo which chalked up its first win in Malta with popular Nabab du Chatelet (Charles Camilleri), Ohime Mag (Ronald Cassar), Orly Meslois (Emmanuel Fenech) and debutant Quelino d’Amour (Mario Fenech) also going through. Odedjalo (Noel Baldacchino) had to go all out in the last few metres of the second Premier heat in order to secure its third win of the season from Mark De Chamant (Michael Seychell). Orne des Olivettes (Christian Xerri) finished third in front of Olympien Major (Anthony Spagnol). Label Chouan (David Ellul) and debutant Orly Montaval (Michael Axisa) also made it through to the next stage. In the first Gold Class race of the day, Orcas Bac (Charles Camilleri) obtained its first win in Malta after sprinting ahead... ]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 00:02:00 +0200 http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130520/horse-racing/Okilaibo-Odedjalo-prevail-in-Premier-heats.470477 http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130520/horse-racing/Oxbow-wins-Orb-trails-in-fourth.470478

Oxbow, a 15-1 long-shot ridden masterfully by 50-year-old Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, cruised to an easy, wire-to-wire victory in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, denying a Triple Crown bid for Kentucky Derby champion Orb. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained bay bolted to the lead under cloudy skies and chilly temperatures at Pimlico Race Course and never tired, finishing 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Itsmyluckyday. Rosie Napravnik guided Mylute to a third-place finish, while Kentucky Derby champion Orb finished fourth, tiring in the stretch and never getting into contention under Joel Rosario. Oxbow finished sixth in the Derby two weeks ago on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs. On Saturday, Stevens steered clear of traffic in the opening furlong and never looked back. “He didn’t get a lot of respect even after his great performance in the Derby,” said Stevens, who came out of retirement last year following a seven-year hiatus. “We came back and breezed him on Monday and what you see now is exactly how he acted in his workout. “When I hit the half-mile pole, I said, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this happening?’ The race was over at that point. I just walked the dog to the half-mile pole.” Orb, the... ]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200 http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130520/horse-racing/Oxbow-wins-Orb-trails-in-fourth.470478