Unruly Boss, the 4-5 favourite in the opening event of ten did not move fluently on his way to the start and hardly raised a gallop to only finish last but one.
On the other hand, Christopher Mamdeen, the 2019 champion jockey, had 5-2 bet Dodge This Link in front for all 1200 metres to score by just over two lengths.
The Mamdeen success was perhaps a harbinger indicating that past champions would make a significant impression with Shane Ellis, Omar Walker, Dick Cardenas and Dane Dawkins securing competitive mounts.
Samatha Fletcher, for undisclosed reasons, was declared “down for the day” and replaced by Shane Richardson to partner 5-2 bet Special Gift over the 1100 metres of race two. Saddled by Marlon Brown, the consistent five-year-old bay horse ran gamely to win by just under one length.
Then in race five, run at 1000 metres straight, Fletcher’s substitute, Richard Henry was superb in a driving finish aboard KP Choice (2-1) securing victory by a head for owner/trainer Damon Gayle.
Race three, an event restricted to maiden two-year-olds over 1100 metres, Ryan Darby’s Kimuchi (Paul Francis) in her third appearance, dominated to score by eight lengths at odds of 9-2.
In race four on the 1000-metre round course the daily battle for the 2024 jockeys’ title continued. Tevin Foster, at the time on 117 wins for the first of a double, piloted Steven Todd’s near eight-length winner, maiden filly Chinita Estrella (9-5), to close the gap to one with chief rival Raddesh Roman on 119.
At the end of the 800-metre straight race six, it was time for another past champion to be in the winners’ enclosure.
Trevor Simpson, a five-time titlist had 12/1 shot Lambo Girl, declared by Adrian Prince, in front all the way for a romp of just over six lengths.
Thirty-five minutes later it was the turn of 2011 champion Dick Cardenas to induce a strong late effort from Battle Angel (3-1) to win the 1400-metre seventh by just under two lengths for trainer Anthony Nunes.
There was an exciting turn of events in the 1000-metre straight eighth race as the unerringly accurate technological photo finish apparatus could not separate the first two to finish and recorded a dead heat.
Both sets of supporters of the two horses, preferring to trust their naked eyes, claimed that one or the other was the sole winner. They need to understand that the technology available is capable of determining that both horses ran the identical time over the distance.
In race eight, to continue the past champions showcase, 2022 titlist Dane Dawkins, for the first of a double, rode 7-2 choice El Rapido (USA) for trainer Nicholas Wehby, who was not credited in the official results on the promoter’s website.
Roman, as one of the two aspiring champions, partnered Spencer Chung’s Commander Z (USA) to share the spoils as the 4-5 favourite. However, Foster had a response to Roman as he claimed race nine aboard Gary Griffiths’ 2-1 bet Digital Light as the filly scored by a half a length over the full straight course.
To close his double and the past champions display, Dawkins, in terms of balance and judgement of pace, was at his absolute best aboard the Gary Subratie conditioned 3-1 bet Money Market in the competitive tenth event contested by a field of 14 over 1100 metres.
A game, genuine and consistent sort, Money Market was held just off the early pace and successfully exploited a gap on the inner rails whilst negotiating the home turn to be just better than one length ahead of 38/1 bet Freedom Street.
