Ainsley Walters, STAR Writer

Jamaican jockey Chavion Chow overcame adversity to lift his first title, emerging top rider at Assiniboia Downs (ASD) in Winnipeg, Canada, on Monday.

Chow, 28, toiled after arriving from Jamaica in 2008 as an exercise rider and went winless from almost 100 mounts.

However, last year, he finished fourth in the standings with 31 wins, before ending this season with 62 winners.

Chow, formerly known as 'Mr Longshot', led the standings early and stayed on strongly, despite numerous challenges and the arrival of his countryman, Caymanas Park three-time champion, Dane Nelson.

When Chow appeared in the winner's circle to receive his trophy on Monday, one of the proudest men in the house was his agent, Kirt Contois, who is also ASD's race-caller and books his mounts in the mornings for a 25 per cent cut of the jockey's winnings.

Three-timers over

At the weekend, the Jamaican reeled off successive three-timers over the last two days of a three-day festival of racing at the Manitoba racetrack to beat Guyanese Rohan Singh, 55, and defending champion, Barbadian Chris 'The Chin' Husbands, on 54.

Chow started the weekend on 56 winners, seven clear of Singh (49) and Husbands, a close-up third on 48 wins. Saturday, however, was not Chow's day, as he went winless.

The Jamaican returned to explode on Sunday with three victories, including the Gold Cup and Winnipeg Futurity for two-year-olds, each carrying purses of CA$25,000.

He won the Gold Cup aboard last year's top horse, MAGIC D'ORO, at nine furlongs. HEBER handed him victory in the Winnipeg Futurity.

Chow wasted no time on Monday's Labour Day, opening the nine-race card with TUFF COWBOY, beating Chris Husbands' SUPER ME in a seven-and-a-half-furlong waiver-claiming event worth CA$7,700.

He then posted a quick double, landing the seventh event with VALEDICTORYADDRESS, which returned a winning dividend of CA$20.40.

He afterwards booted home SAMURAI SLAM in the eighth, seven-and-a-half furlongs, returning CA$19.00.