Jamaican trainer Jason DaCosta landed his first stakes race of the current USA season on Monday when his gelding Gamboling Ghost scored a surprise win in the US$100,000 Whistle Pig Stakes for 2YOs at Parx Racing track in Pennsylvania.

Ridden by Colombian Jairo Rendon, the 8-1 bet Gamboling Ghost came from off the pace to take command inside the final sixteenth, pulling clear in the end to win by three lengths for owners Calypso Stable.

Gamboling Ghost clocked 1:07.62 in the 5-1/2-furlong sprint for his second win in three lifetime starts. The 17-1 shot Chilling Hassie was second.

DaCosta’s other entry Poker Partner was the 8-5 favourite but he stumbled badly at the start and also suffered interference down the backstretch and placed last in the 10-horse field. Currently the champion and leading trainer in Jamaica, the 38-year-old DaCosta is having a prosperous summer, coming off feature race wins at Caymanas Park three consecutive weeks this month, the Oaks with Mamma Mia, the Reggae Trophy with She’s My Destiny and the Arthur Jones Memorial last weekend with Is That a Fact.

DaCosta has 55 wins so far this year at Caymanas Park and 20 wins in the USA, scoring victories at Thistledown, Presque Isle Downs, Charles Town and Mahoning Valley.