Jockey Dane Dawkins is brimming with confidence and ready to showcase his improved form at Caymanas Park on Saturday, following a successful stint in Canada that saw him rack up 25 wins.

The former champion rider, known for his tenacity and skill in the saddle, started slowly at the North American track, but he eventually found his rhythm and returned with more victories under his belt than in his previous overseas campaign in 2019.

Dawkins, who competed primarily at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, admitted that the transition was initially challenging. However, his determination to make a mark and improve on his past performances pushed him through the difficult period.

With every race, he adjusted to the nuances of the track and the competition, and by the end of the season there, Dawkins had established himself as a force to be reckoned with. His 25 wins were complemented by 24 second-place finishes and 28 third-place finishes from 169 mounts, amassing an impressive CAD$288,149 (about $33.5 million Jamaican) in earnings.

“It was a tough start because it took a while for me to get comfortable and get to know the horses, but once I got into my groove after my first two months, everything started to click. Winning 25 races this time around was a big deal for me because I only won seven the last time I was there. It shows I’m learning and improving and once I started winning races, the trainers saw my true potential and started giving me more rides,” Dawkins told SportsMax.Tv.

Dawkins’ performances in Canada weren’t just about accumulating wins, the experience also sharpened his skills. With the renewed confidence, he is eager to bring that momentum back to Jamaica, where he now hopes to continue his winning streak at Caymanas Park, as he has secured four rides on Saturday’s card and another six for Sunday.

“I’m excited to be back at Caymanas. Riding in Canada helped me fine-tune my techniques and decision-making, and I want to use that to get more wins here. The goal is to build on what I’ve achieved and show that I’m a better rider than before,” the soft-spoken rider noted.

But Dawkins isn’t just focused on immediate success. The talented jockey has his eyes set on a long-term goal—winning more Classic races to cement his legacy in the sport.

For Dawkins, these prestigious events, such as the Jamaica Derby, the Jamaica Oaks, the 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, Jamaica Cup, Gold Cup and Mouttet Mile, are the pinnacle achievements for any Jamaican jockey, and he’s determined to consistently etch his name in the annals of the sport’s history.

With the season at Caymanas Park nearing its end, Dawkins return at this point in time will only allow him to challenge for the Gold Cup in October, the Jamaica Cup in November, and the lucrative Mouttet Mile in December.

“I want to consistently win those big races, the Classic races. That’s what every jockey targets in their career. Yes, I’ve won a few already, but you can’t get complacent at any time. You always have to keep pushing and putting in the work to continue getting those rides in the big races to make your mark in the sport,” he shared.

However, success on the track is only part of Dawkins’ motivation. A dedicated family man, he revealed that his greatest ambition is to ensure that his loved ones are well taken care of.

For him, the sacrifices he makes and the risks he takes are all in service of providing a better future for his family.

“At the end of the day, I ride to win and make a name for myself, but my family comes first. Every win, every achievement is for them. I just want to make my family proud and happy, and that’s what drives me to keep pushing myself and that’s what it’s all about,” Dawkins ended.

Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow is none the worse for his unsupervised trip around Cheltenham and will now take aim at Punchestown.

The eight-year-old started at 8-1 under J J Slevin with some eyecatching form to his name, including a second-placed finish in the Ultima behind subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler 12 months ago.

From there he headed to the Punchestown Gold Cup and notably defeated both Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame, the 2023 Gold Cup first and second.

That form held when he returned to action this season as his debut came in the John Durkan at Punchestown, where he beat Galopin Des Champs again as Willie Mullins’ stable star could only come home in third.

The two horses did switch roles next time out, however, with Fastorslow the runner-up in the Irish Gold Cup as Galopin Des Champs returned to winning ways and staked his claim on a Cheltenham repeat.

As such Galopin Des Champs was a well-justified 10-11 shot on Friday and eventually prevailed by three and a half lengths, whereas Fastorslow met with misfortune at the 16th obstacle and parted ways with Slevin.

Horse and rider were unharmed and Fastorslow’s herd instincts kept him amongst the field right until the end, as he crossed the line in second place without his rider having briefly threatened to interfere with the progress of the winner.

Brassil reports him to show no ill effects for the jaunt and he will now be aimed at a repeat of last season’s Punchestown success.

“He’s fine, he’s come out of it well,” the trainer said,

“The race hadn’t really developed (when he unseated at 16th).

“He’ll go to Punchestown all being well.”

Grand National winner Corach Rambler will head straight for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham before aiming to repeat his Aintree heroics in April.

Last seen running an encouraging race to be third in the Betfair Chase, Lucinda Russell feels he would have too much weight to carry in the Ultima at Cheltenham, the race he won prior to success in the National, so therefore the Gold Cup represents a better route.

“Corach Rambler is in flying form and seems very well in himself. He’ll go straight to the Gold Cup and we’ll look to get a racecourse gallop into him before that like we did last year,” she told William Hill.

“Everyone knows how much I love him and it would be very special if he could be competitive in another Grand National. Over Christmas we watched back the race last year and it was amazing how much he loved it and how well he jumped. That is the main target and, while I don’t like to call the Gold Cup a prep, that’s sort of what we’re treating it as.

“He’ll have to carry so much weight in the Ultima and we just feel the Gold Cup will be a better race for him. It would be amazing if he could run well in that which would set him up perfectly for Aintree.”

She may have two runners in the blue riband with Ahoy Senor possibly lining up. He is likely to have another run first, however.

“Ahoy Senor is in great form and has fully recovered from his sore heel after Newbury. We’ve sorted that out and he’s been doing really well at home since,” said Russell.

“The aim looks the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham and, if we don’t go there, we’ll look at the Denman Chase at Newbury – a track we know he goes well at. The race at Lingfield (Fleur De Lys Chase) could have been an option, but I’m not keen on running him on very heavy ground.

“Providing one of those races goes well, it will most likely be the Gold Cup next. He has got an entry in the Ryanair and we could look at that, but I’d be leaning towards the Gold Cup at this stage.”

Russell, who feels she possibly ran Giovinco back too quickly in the Kauto Star Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and may go to Sandown or Cheltenham next, also passed on a good word for the mare, Apple Away.

“She’s a bit of a dark horse and I’m quietly confident she might run quite well in the Brown Advisory. She’ll head to Warwick next weekend and I’ve been really happy with her at home since her last run,” she said.

Desert Orchid, one of the most successful steeplechasers of all time, died at the age of 27 on this day in 2006.

The dashing grey achieved greatness within the National Hunt arena and was much-loved by racing enthusiasts for his iron will and extreme adaptability.

Affectionately known as ‘Dessie’, he won 34 races in total, including the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup and seven at his beloved Kempton Park, where four victories in the King George VI Steeple Chase underlined his immense talent.

Following his retirement in 1991, he remained popular with fans, making public appearances at charity events.

In a statement, his former trainer David Elsworth said: “Desert Orchid died peacefully in his stable at 6.05 this morning. There was no stress, he departed from this world with dignity and no fuss.

“He did his dying in the same individual way that he did his living. It was time to go.

“Dessie had not been well for the past week and was losing his co-ordination. He was 27 years old and we had been involved with this wonderful horse for
a quarter of a century both in his racing days and retirement.”

Desert Orchid’s ashes were buried at his stomping ground of Kempton, where a statue was also erected.

Gold Cup hero Subjectivist will stand at the Skelton family’s Alne Park Stud next year.

The six-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Royal Ascot showpiece in 2021, adding to his previous big-race victories in the Prix Royal-Oak and Dubai Gold Cup.

A career-threatening tendon injury sidelined Subjectivist for the best part of two years following his Gold Cup heroics, but he did finish an honourable third in his bid for a second victory in the two-and-a-half-mile contest this summer before being retired.

He will now be readied for a stallion career in Warwickshire in 2024 with a stud fee of £4,000.

Alne Park Stud director Grace Skelton, wife of leading National Hunt trainer Dan, said: “The addition of Subjectivist to our stallion roster is a huge leap forward for Alne Park Stud. To stand a stallion of this calibre is an immense honour.

“He will stand at an introductory fee of £4,000. We firmly believe that keeping this exceptional stallion in the UK is a real boost to British breeders and we hope that he will see plenty of support in his debut season.”

Subjectivist was initially trained by Mark Johnston, before his son Charlie took over the licence, and he added: “I always say that, when placing horses, the opposition trumps all other factors. But, very rarely, you come across a horse where the opposition isn’t a factor at all. Subjectivist was such a horse.

“In 2021, I truly believed that there wasn’t a horse in the world that could beat him at two miles or more, in any ground.

“There is less and less need for British NH (National Hunt) breeders to travel to Ireland and, with the incentives on offer in the UK, perhaps the Irish breeders will be thinking of coming over here!”

Subjectivist, an impressive winner of the 2021 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, has been retired.

The six-year-old stormed to a five-length victory at the Berkshire track two years ago, supplementing previous successes in the Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp and a Dubai Gold Cup verdict at Meydan.

However, he suffered a career-threatening tendon injury after that success – an issue which kept him on the sidelines for 618 days before returning to action in Saudi Arabia back in February.

After finishing third in the Dubai Gold Cup, Subjectivist went on to fill the same position in the Gold Cup back at Ascot, in what transpired to be his final start after his old issue flared up again.

Initially trained by Mark Johnston before he transferred the licence to his son Charlie, who saddled him this term, Subjectivist retires as a six-times winner with over £890,000 banked in prize money.

Johnston senior, who is now assistant trainer to his son, said: “We have known this was coming, it’s been difficult keeping him going.

“I had slightly mixed feelings about his run at Royal Ascot as while he ran a good race, I didn’t think it was as good as his best of two years ago.

“The objective was to get him to Ascot and then we hoped we might get him to Goodwood, but it has always been there, rumbling away.

“His Gold Cup win was the highlight, but he won three races on the bounce, two at Group One level and one at Group Two, with his win in Dubai being very impressive – you could say that was his purple patch, those seven or eight months.”

Subjectivist is now set to embark on a stallion career and Johnston added: “We hope he will go to stud now.

“There were a couple of people interested after his Gold Cup win and one of those has kept in touch, so we will see what happens.”

St Kitts and Nevis’ Sugar Boyz historically qualified for their first ever CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage appearance on Tuesday night after defeating French Guiana 4-2 on penalties after the sides played to a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time on Tuesday night.

 St Kitts and Nevis will now play in Group A alongside the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica.

In the game where the start was delayed because of weather conditions at the Inter Miami CF Stadium Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the Sugar Boyz very nearly took the lead in the 26th minute when Romaine Sawyers sent across a low ball to Jacob Hazel on the corner of the six-yard box, but French Guiana defender Gregory Lescot was there to block the attempt.

Saint Kitts and Nevis kept control of the match, and the breakthrough came in the 41st minute; it was Tiquanny Williams who wrestled around the defense to receive a pass from Hazel and blast the ball home to give the Sugar Boyz a deserved 1-0 lead heading into the break.

However, Les Yana Dokos did not fold. Following a handball in the box, Arnold Abelinti tied the game in the 53rd minute with a perfectly placed penalty into the bottom corner. It was Abelinti’s third goal of the Prelims.

Both sides would push for a winner, but neither could find one, sending the match to a penalty shootout with a berth in the group stage on the line.

Just as in the first preliminary round a few days ago, the Sugar Boyz executed their kicks and goalkeeper Julani Archibald came up with a huge save. Late substitute Mervin Lewis sealed the deal with a thunderbolt into the top left corner in the fourth frame, sending Saint Kitts and Nevis side into celebration.

Craig Kieswetter is dreaming the next stage of the Echoes In Rain journey leads to an Ascot Gold Cup triumph as the former England international cricketer has eyes for only one trophy at Royal Ascot.

Kieswetter was named man of the match in the World Cup Final when England conquered the cricketing world at the 2010 T20 World Cup. But since crossing the boundary for the final time at the tender age of 27, he has gone on to play a major role in Barnane Stud and now stands on the brink of reaching the pinnacle of Flat racing when the standard bearer of his family’s racing operation lines up in Thursday’s main event.

Trained by Willie Mullins, Echoes In Rain has raced 23 times in a dual-purpose career that has seen her win nine times, striking at Grade One level twice – including on her most recent outing at the Punchestown Festival when she arguably produced a career best, romping to an imperious nine-and-a-half-length victory.

Her record could be even more impressive if not racing in the era of Honeysuckle, but it is somewhat fitting that the Barnane stalwart could provide her owners with their biggest triumph on the ultimate stage.

“She’s an incredible horse and all the credit has to go to Peter, Ross and Anna Doyle who purchased her for us and Willie and his team for the way they have looked after her,” said Kieswetter.

“She’s one of those horses that doesn’t come around too often and she has given us so much pleasure over the jumps and on the Flat for a good few years.

“As grateful as we are for the great times and the journey she has taken us on, at times it has been frustrating because she has come up against Honeysuckle. It’s been an amazing journey and it would be great to continue that journey on Thursday.”

Mullins is seeking his own slice of history and he attempts to become the first man to win both the Cheltenham and Ascot versions of the Gold Cup in the same year.

Vincent O’Brien is the only man to win both races, but it was not in the same calendar year – showing just how remarkable Mullins’ achievement would be.

The Closutton handler came close to Gold Cup glory 10 years ago, when Simenon was narrowly denied by the late Queen’s Estimate in the week’s premier staying contest.

Kieswetter continued: “Willie is happy with the mare and hopefully he can create a bit of history for himself and become the first trainer to win both Gold Cups in the same year – that would be one hell of an achievement.

“He’s a genius and he knows what his plan is. He is hungry to give the race a good crack and is sending a good team of horses for the week. It’s extremely exciting, the Gold Cup is the Gold Cup and we’re just hoping the mare gives a good account of herself and if she does, we will be happy with that.

“After chatting to Willie, he did mention a couple of options for her at the Royal meeting and some other Flat races throughout the season, but I think he must be quite chuffed with her and confident after her last performance.

“Willie isn’t going to just enter a horse for the sake of entering it, so he must be confident and that in turn gives us confidence.”

Barnane Stud broke their duck at the Royal meeting when the William Haggas-trained Candleford stormed to success in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes 12 months ago, a result that simply whetted Kieswetter’s appetite to return in search of further glory during one of the biggest weeks of the racing year.

Now, like their horses, the close-knit family operation is ready to make the step up to the highest level and – win, lose or draw – they are determined to enjoy the day to its full potential.

“Last year we had a nice result with Candleford in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes,” added the South African-born owner-breeder.

“Just to have a runner is great, but to have a winner is very special. It’s an incredible week of racing.

“The Gold Cup is steeped in history and tradition. The whole week of racing is amazing, but the Gold Cup is the pinnacle of the week and to have a runner the trainer is confident in is very exciting.

“We have the whole team over from Barnane and South Africa and we will be racing with a lot of friends, so it will be a fun day.

“If she wins the Gold Cup, I’m pretty sure we will open up the local pub to the whole of the town and drink them out of Guinness.”

A Gold Cup victory would make Echoes In Rain a valuable broodmare proposition for Barnane Stud with Kieswetter tentatively mooting they could decide to pull stumps on her racing career there and then in the Ascot winner’s enclosure if big-race success came her way.

There is, of course, plenty of water to cross through Swinley Bottom before a date with the breeding sheds is inked into the diary, but it appears Kieswetter’s mating plans are as aggressive as his exploits with cricket bat in hand as he suggests he would not be shy in pointing Echoes In Rain the way of Frankel amongst others.

He said: “If she does happen to do something special, she will undoubtedly be going to the best Flat stallion. It would make sense being a Gold Cup winner or placed mare, so she would be deserving of the full treatment and we certainly wouldn’t hold back on her.

“Frankel is most probably on the cards. He’s a superstar and his results are outstanding. But that is something we will sit down as a team and no doubt discuss the options. Although it is important we don’t get carried away and we need to get through Thursday first before we can sit and decide anything.

“The fact we are able to even have these dreams is what the sport is all about and we are grateful for.

“We’ve got a beautiful team, both over here and in South Africa, and what we want to do is breed top quality racehorses and that is what the goal is.”

Alan King will send at least three runners to Royal Ascot next week, with big gun Trueshan ready to fire in the Gold Cup, should there be sufficient cut in the ground.

With the current spell of hot weather expected to break down over the next few days, the Barbury Castle handler is “hopeful” the three-time Ascot Long Distance Cup winner can bounce back from a seven-length Sagaro defeat by Coltrane, who heads next Thursday’s showpiece event over two and a half miles.

The dual Group One winner Trueshan will be hoping to make it third time lucky in the race after being declared a non-runner in the last two renewals on account of unsuitable ground.

“We will have to hope for a few thunderstorms,” said King. “He needs to get his toe in, as we all know. It is an open Gold Cup and we’ll keep an eye on the weather and see what happens.”

Tritonic will try two and a half miles for the first time on the Flat when he lines up in the Ascot Stakes.

Runner-up in the 10-furlong Golden Gates in 2020, he subsequently won a juvenile hurdle and a Grade Three handicap hurdle at the Berkshire track.

He has only been out of the frame in once in four runs at Ascot, when fourth, beaten just over seven lengths by Quickthorn, in the heavy-ground Duke of Edinburgh in 2021.

King said: “Three will run at the meeting for us anyway.

“Tritonic will run in the Ascot Stakes. Whether he wants that trip I don’t know, but we thought we’d go that route and learn. If he ran there, you’d have to try to train him for a Cesarewitch or something.”

There is plenty of confidence behind eight-year-old Raymond Tusk, who would also appreciate some easy ground when he lines up in the Copper Horse Handicap, the final race on Tuesday’s card.

King said: “He ran in it last year. He was only beaten four lengths, finishing seventh.

“The old boy is in really good form. Obviously, we’d like a drop of rain for him, but it was fast last year and I hope he will run a really nice race again.”

HMS President had a string of runner-up efforts in decent handicaps last year for Eve Johnson Houghton.

Now with King, the HP Racing colours were carried to success on his second start for King, when taking a valuable handicap at Newmarket, having finished runner-up in the Rosebery at Kempton on his stable debut and seasonal bow.

“He’s shown he has been pretty consistent last year and is trip versatile,” said King. “It was nice to see him get his head in front at Newmarket.

“We have a small team, but we’re looking forward to the meeting, as always.”

Eldar Eldarov will be bidding for a second successive Royal Ascot success in next week’s Gold Cup following his narrow verdict in the Queen’s Vase 12 months ago.

Roger Varian’s four-year-old also claimed the St Leger in a fruitful season and returned to action in the Yorkshire Cup when narrowly failing to reel in Giavellotto, to whom he was conceding 5lb.

He will be running over a trip further than two miles for the first time in his career at Ascot, but that is the only question mark regarding a horse who has won on quick and slow ground and could potentially even improve for racing over further.

“He ran well at York and has done everything right since,” said Chris Wall, former trainer and now racing manager to owners KHK Racing.

“Obviously he is going into the unknown over that distance but he’s nothing but a competitor, he’s a tough horse, he likes the challenge and if he gets the trip I think he’s going to be a player.

“Roger is very happy with how everything is so it’s fingers crossed, really.

“Four-year-olds have a great record in the Gold Cup and while the trip is the unknown, he certainly gives the impression that he will stay those distances well.

“His work at home has been very satisfactory, he looks well, so we’ll just keep everything crossed that he puts up a good performance.

“We’re not too worried about the ground. I suppose like everybody we’d like a little bit of juice, so a few showers wouldn’t go amiss but he’s proved he’s effective on any ground, so we’re looking forward to it.”

The owners also hold leading claims in the Commonwealth Cup with Sakheer, the Mill Reef winner who finished seventh on soft ground in the 2000 Guineas.

“He must have a good chance. It was hard to tell whether he stayed a mile on that awful ground in the Guineas, but he acquitted himself well,” said Wall.

“He’s done nothing wrong in his preparation either, so we’ll go there and hope for the best and hope he goes and runs a good race.

“He’s going to have to prove himself exceptional if he’s going to beat Little Big Bear I think, but we’ll see how we go.”

Courage Mon Ami has been given the go-ahead to contest the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in spite of his owner Anthony Oppenheimer’s concerns regarding his stamina for the testing trip.

As a late blooming three-year-old last year, he did not hit the track until mid-September, yet patience paid off as he won a pair of 12-furlong all-weather novice races at Kempton and Newcastle in great style for John and Thady Gosden.

Gelded over the winter, the son of Frankel stepped up to a mile and three-quarters for his handicap debut upon his return to action at Goodwood last month and justified favouritism with a two-and-three-quarter-length victory over Aggagio.

Following his impressive victory to remain unbeaten at the South Downs track, the lightly-raced four-year-old was cut to as short as 10-1 for the Gold Cup on June 22.

Oppenheimer is open-minded about whether Courage Mon Ami will stay the two and a half miles on what will be his first try in Group One company.

He said: “He’s a nice staying horse. I’m not sure he will stay that distance, but we are confident he will stay two miles, we’re just not sure about another four furlongs.”

He went on: “There are definitely possibilities he will stay, but without running we won’t see.

“He is a big, strong horse – a huge horse. We couldn’t really run him much last year because he was so big. With the firm ground, we had to wait and wait. It was a very nice, pleasant surprise when he did run. He strengthened up extremely well.”

With little rain in the forecast over the next week or so, it is a distinct possibility the ground will be on the fast side at Ascot.

“I don’t think the ground will be a problem,” added the owner. “He won the other day on good to firm. He is by Frankel and I don’t think there’s an issue there.

“But if it was heavy or a bit too soft, I’d not be too sure. Good to firm will be no problem at all.”

Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts has hinted that Everton winger Demarai Gray is inching ever closer to becoming a Reggae Boy citing that Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson is fond of the player, who has been on the federation’s radar for the past few years.

It was in March 2021, that Ricketts in an interview indicated that the now 26-year-old Gray was among several English players who were in the process of acquiring their Jamaican passports. The federation had hoped that the player would have been able to join the national programme in time for the qualification matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar but that did not happen.

However, while responding to questions at a JFF press conference on Wednesday to announce new and returning sponsors and the launch of the federation’s new website, Ricketts, while coy, indicated that with regards to Gray, things were moving in a positive direction.

“I don’t want to speak too much on it because his parents really don’t want us to but we are making some progress,” he said. “What I can say is that the coach is very optimistic, the coach likes him and the coach is working hard to ensure that he gets him in his programme.”

Ricketts revealed that if all goes according to plan, Gray could be suited in Jamaican colours in time for the CONCACAF Gold Cup set to get underway in June. Jamaica opens its campaign against defending champions, the United States of America on June 24.

However, Gray is not the only player being targeted by the JFF. According to Ricketts, the Jamaican head coach already has an idea of what players will make up his squad for the Gold Cup, which might include some new players based overseas.

“Based on discussions that I would have had with Coach Hallgrimsson, he is very excited. In fact, he has some young players on his radar that he is very excited about and, of course, he said to me after the Mexico game (in March) he was convinced about what the nucleus of his team will be,” Ricketts revealed.

“But there are some overseas-based players and we have asked Simon (Preston) to work closely with Coach Hallgrimsson to identify some of these young players.” Preston, a former sports anchor at Television Jamaica (TVJ), is working with the JFF in the capacity of media liaison and analyst.

Hallgrimsson is currently in England meeting with a number of players whom he would like to be part of the rebuilding of the Reggae Boyz squad. The head coach reportedly made trips to the USA and then to his home country of Iceland before travelling to England.

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz have a series of international friendlies scheduled over the next six weeks as the Jamaica Football Federation looks to get the national senior side back on track after a disastrous failed World Cup campaign.

Two international friendlies are to be played in Spain against Catalonia on May 25 and the Basque Country on May 27, respectively.

According to the JFF, these matches will offer opportunities to look at new players, mainly from Europe. These new players, depending on the assessment of the technical staff, could play a role in the short, medium or long term plans.

 Crucial Nations League games against Suriname away on June 4, and then home on June 7, along with a June 14 home game against Mexico will be aimed at maximizing points for the 2023 Gold Cup qualification while the team continues to develop a style of play, improve its FIFA ranking as well as building team chemistry and a winning mentality.

An international friendly against Uruguay is set for June 11.

Guadeloupe put up a good fight, but Jamaica’s experience provided a slight edge for the Reggae Boyz in a 2-1 victory.

Guadeloupe started brightly with an early goal. In the fourth minute, The Gwada Boys took advantage of a failed set piece from Jamaica and counterattacked. An awkward deflection off Jamaican defender Amari’i Bell got past his own keeper -- giving Guadeloupe the 1-0 lead.

The opening goal livened up the match as Jamaica kept pressing Guadeloupe in search of an equalizer.  Jamaica would get a response just 10 minutes later via a counterattack that caught the Guadeloupe defense off guard. Jamaican striker Cory Burke was able to line up the ball perfectly to score at the far post. This is Burke’s seventh goal in 17 caps with the team.

 After an exciting opening 15 minutes, both sides played more cautiously to end the first half. In the second half, it was clear neither side wanted to finish the match with a draw.

Jamaica began to pick up momentum and started to push more players up. In the 62nd minute, Jamaica forward Shamar Nicholson came close to giving his team the edge buthe missed an opportunity by sending the ball flying over the net.

Guadeloupe would fight back and generate opportunities of their own, but also struggled to find the goal.

 Finally, in the dying minutes of the contest, the Reggae Boyz wouldn't be denied.  Jamaica striker Junior Flemmings used some nifty footwork to get past the rival defense and drove a left-footed finish through the legs of Guadeloupe goalkeeper Yohann Thuram- straight into the back of the net. It secured a crucial result for Jamaica, who now sits on top of Group C with six points.

A first-half strike from Jairo Henriquez and a late Walmer Martinez goal powered El Salvador to a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Group A of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup on Wednesday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

With the result, the Cuscatlecos have qualified for their first Gold Cup quarterfinal since the 2017 edition.

El Salvador came out the stronger of the two sides and soon started testing Trinidad and Tobago GK Nicklas Frenderup, beginning with a Joaquin Rivas effort in the 26’ that produced a diving save.

Four minutes later though, there was nothing Frenderup could do to stop Henriquez from giving El Salvador a 1-0 lead by receiving a pass and shaking a defender with a brilliant turn before hammering a right-footed shot past Frenderup.

Henriquez then nearly notched his second of the day in the 38’, only to see his shot from distance glance off the post.

Trinidad and Tobago looked to respond in the second half and moments after Aubrey David nearly scored off a corner kick, Marcus Joseph was denied the equalizer in the 66’ when his stabbing shot off a cross struck the crossbar.

El Salvador looked to put the three points on ice and it was all there for Juan Portillo to do it, but Frenderup had other ideas and snuffed out Portillo’s shot right in front of goal.

The insurance goal arrived in the 90+1 with Martinez finishing off a frenzied sequence that started with Amando Moreno’s short squirting past Frenderup, hitting the post and rolling across the face of the goal on the line. Marvin Marquez swooped in trying to poke it into the net, but it was deflected by Frenderup to Portillo, who passed back to Martinez for an easy stroke into the net to complete the 2-0 scoreline.