Moonlight Bandit wins $6K purse in 2-horse race @ Ellis Thomas Downs
The horse was competing against one other horse, Warrior’s Ridge, in a single race of the day to a small audience, a first since the coronavirus pandemic affected the Virgin Islands over three months ago.
“We personally just run among ourselves for $6,000, and that’s between me and the other horse owner,” an elated Dion Stevens, the owner of Moonlight Bandit, said.
Stevens added that the two horse owners decided to compete in the single race because: “the horse them here put down and we gotta feed them and take care of them so, we might as well keep the sport alive.”
Stevens also said that the race was done outside of the VI Horse Owners Association.
He said soon he is expecting to see more horse owners team up and compete against each other on the track.
Warrior’s Ridge made debut
In the meantime, the losing horse, Warrior's Ridge, made his debut on the horse track and gave a good showing.
Part-owner of the horse, Shanesen Turnbull, like Stevens, said he chose to participate to keep the sport going.
“Hopefully this is a start, and it will get back up,” he said moments after his defeat.
He said the horse is six years old and it was imported from Puerto Rico.
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