Apprentice jockey Shaheem Gordon delivered a storybook comeback to competitive horse racing on Saturday, May 23, 2026, clinching a dramatic last-gasp victory at Jamaica’s iconic Caymanas Park aboard the Jason DaCosta-trained roan mare Himaya.
The triumph marked Gordon’s first competitive ride after a six-week break forced by a serious fall earlier in the year. On Easter Monday, April 6, Gordon was thrown from his mount Get A Pepsi during the 10th race of the day, suffering a concussion that required a short hospital stay and kept him sidelined from the sport he loves. Stepping back into the irons at Cayman Park, Gordon was scheduled for five races across the afternoon, with his comeback win coming in the very first of his scheduled outings.
The race that sealed Gordon’s return to the winner’s circle was an Optional Claiming event open to three-year-old runners and older, contested over seven furlongs (1,400 meters) of the Caymanas Park track. From the starting gate, jockey Raddesh Roman jumped out to an early lead aboard Sir Wong Don, with Prince Marshall and Richie Shakes settling into close pursuit to track the pace setter. Meanwhile, Gordon and Himaya sat far off the early tempo, holding down the second-to-last spot in the running order through the first half of the race.
As the field rounded the final turn for home, Sir Wong Don had opened up a comfortable multi-length lead, with most onlookers expecting the front-runner to hold on for an easy win. Even entering the final two furlongs (400 meters), Himaya still trailed the leading pack by a significant margin, before the mare finally found her racing rhythm. Gordon expertly angled Himaya toward the inside rail, a move that allowed her to build unchallenged momentum as the race neared its finish line. When the race leader Sir Wong Don began to tire and fade in the closing strides, Himaya’s devastating late burst closed the gap in dramatic fashion, pushing her across the line a head ahead of the competition for the win.
Romane Gordon’s mount Money Box finished a further four and a half lengths behind to claim third place. The winning time for the seven-furlong contest was clocked at 1:30.1, with quarter-mile splits recorded at 23.3, 47.4, and 1:15.1 respectively. For Himaya, the victory marked her third career win from 51 total starts, boosting her lifetime race earnings to nearly $3.5 million. Following the fairytale win, Gordon headed to the scales to complete post-race requirements, with photographer Garfield Robinson capturing the iconic moment of the apprentice jockey’s comeback win.