With respect to race riding, the result of the opening event of nine generated talking points laced with the regular excuses as once again title-pursuing Raddesh Roman and US-based visiting reinsman Victor Sanchez matched skills.
In their first contentious and controversial “neck and neck” encounter on September 7, Roman was deemed guilty of repeated intimidation and interference in the final 200 metres. This resulted in his mount Waterman John being disqualified from first and the race awarded to Sanchez’s Dimetry P trained by Colin Ferguson.
This time around the stewards had a look at an incident inside the first 100 metres when Sanchez’s mount and 5-1 winner She’s A Mirage of the 1100-metre event, trained by Jason DaCosta, had a minor collision with Roman’s Baby Love the 1-2 favourite.
At the end of another war of attrition in the home straight, Sanchez prevailed by a shorthead. On this occasion, the Roman detractors are convinced he was now the intimidated one, but only by the experience and skills of Sanchez.
In race two, run over a similar distance, Sanchez’s first local winning double was confirmed aboard Princess Tiffany (5-2) prepared by owner/trainer David Powell for a romp of over seven lengths.
Supported at odds of 4-1, Tigray Express (Shane Richardson), declared by Anthony Dixon, was two and a quarter length better than the nearest of five rivals in the 1400-metre gallop of race three.
With Equinox (1-2) coming back undefeated after two starts, at the end of race four, leading conditioner Jason DaCosta was back in the winners’ enclosure to pose for formalities. Partnered again by Abigail Able, Equinox led and just lasted by a head to deny a three-timer for Sanchez who rode 10-1 shot Joblane in the 1000-metre straight gallop.
Leading rider and favourite to win the 2024 title Tevin Foster, secured the first of two successes with 1-2 favourite Princess Ria from the stable of Omar Williams scoring by over 11 lengths in race five which was run over 800 metres straight.
An hour later in race seven, Foster’s double was confirmed when he drove Warsaw (4-5) trained by former three-time champion Anthony Nunes to victory by three parts of a length over the 1100 metres of race seven.
Prior to that, race six over 800 metres straight, went to Funometer (4-1) ridden by two-kilo claimer Shavon Townsend for owner/trainer Byron Davis.
Gary Subratie saddled winners, The General 4-1 and Digital One (USA), of races eight and nine over distances of 1200 and 1000 metres round respectively. Robert Halledeen rode the former to a win margin of over four lengths and Roman guided the latter to a five-length success at odds of 8-5 favourite.
