Following an eighth-length triumph in his previous race against less exacting opponents 10 days ago, Another Commander (Shane Richardson), trained by Lawrence Freemantle, attracted the smart money and was sent off the 2/1 favourite. Well ridden from in front by the apprentice, the four-year-old gelding ran well inside the last 200 metres to land the 1300-metre opening event by three parts of a length.
In the day’s second event over 1000 metres round, Chrisanli predictably made all the running with journeyman Devon A Thomas working hard to main the advantage over chief rival Mr Lyndhurst by three-quarters of a length. It was trainer Anthony Subratie’s third trip to the winners’ enclosure this year.
Having claimed Regal Prospector a month ago, owner/trainer Colin Ferguson elected to engage Osive Donegal who was the regular choice of its previous trainer and the rider’s familiarity with the seven-year-old gelding helped in no small measure to eke out a narrow victory over the 600 metres of third event.
Former jockey-turned-trainer Tensang Chung had the first of two wins with apprentice Youville Pinnock clear by over five lengths aboard favourite Commandante Lunar in the 1400-metre fourth event. Chung’s second came in the sixth half an hour after Uncle Vernon (Dane Dawkins) won the 1000-metre round fifth for conditioner Anthony Smith.
Ridden by Samantha Fletcher, Strike At Will made all the running at odds of 52/1 in an eventful 1700-metre sixth race where long odd-on favourite My Time Now fell, leading to two other runners going down in a spill with riders Anthony Thomas, Tevin Foster and Shane Ellis riding back in the ambulance but with no long-term ill effects suffered. Chung’s second here made it four wins this season. Thomas was replaced by Trevor Simpson, who rode Steven Todd’s The Genesis to an all-the-way victory to justify 3/2 favouritism in the 11th and closing event.
Lalala Bamba (Shane Ellis) duly landed the gamble as the even money favourite in the 1000-metre straight ninth gave trainer Dennis Pryce his fifth winner this season. Trainer Leroy Tomlinson’s third win of the season came in the seventh with Dane Nelson riding his first of two winners on the day aboard One Squeeze at odds of 7/2 in the 1400 metres contest confined to maidens five-year-olds and upwards.
Nelson returned to the winners’ enclosure when Gary Subratie’s Duke outsprinted half a dozen rivals to win the 1000-metre straight Open Allowance 10th event at odds of 9/2.
Unraced since his juvenile maiden appearance last August where he finished a promising third, Prince Marshall gave apprentice Youville Pinnock his second win on the day. Bred, owned and trained by former outstanding jockey Fitzroy Glispie, the attractive three-year-old colt shot clear on the far rails to score by over five lengths at odds of 2/1 over the 1200 metres of the eighth event.
The Training Feat Award is presented to Glispie for presenting Prince Marshall in unbeatable condition and the colt gets the Best Winning Gallop recognition, impressing in the manner in which he picked up the bridle early and how readily the victory was delivered. The Jockeyship Award is reserved for Shane Richardson’s good judgement of pace aboard Another Commander over a trip which could be considered a bit too long for the gelding.
