The opening event, run over 1100 metres on the 11-race programme had a disappointing outcome for those backing Galway Bay (1-2). This favourite with leading reinsman Tevin Foster walked in last and lamely.
There were two defections reducing this field to six runners. Speedy and consistently so Beautiful Bran (2-1), the mount of Victor Sanchez saddled by owner/trainer Michael Spencer, outsprinted her nearest rival by three lengths.
In the 1200-metre race two, with the battle for the 2024 jockeys’ championship continuing to take centrestage, Raddesh Roman broke the 112 wins each deadlock with chief rival Tevin Foster.
Declared by former 14-time champion Philip Feanny, 1-9 bet Fearless Force scored by nearly three lengths at end of the 1200 metres to be the first of three on the day for the great trainer.
Thirty-five minutes later Roman escalated the bragging rights of his fan club to fever pitch. Foster aboard Supremasi (6-1) was unsuccessful in an attempt to make all the running the 1500-metre third event. Impressive Force (USA), responding to the full skill set of Roman, delivered a strong and sustained challenge to deny his chief protagonist by a nose to secure his double in tandem with Feanny which eventually became the second of three for the title chasing jockey.
Race four, the featured Hover Craft Sprint, restricted to two-year-olds and contested by six starters over 1200 metres, was won convincingly by US-bred colt Unspun, saddled by Donovan Hutchinson and partnered by the 2019 champion, Christopher Mamdeen, now based overseas to win by just over 10 lengths.
Foster, to fashion the first of his two responses to Roman’s double strike, brought 5-2 bet Here Comes Doc prepared by Gary Griffiths with a strong late effort to score by a length and a half on the sloppy on which the 1100-metre event was run.
The equalizer came in the race seven aboard the Anthony Nunes conditioned Legit Boss (8/5), who led and held on well to record a margin of three parts of a length over the 1000 metres of the straight course.
Incidentally, Roman had to settle for second in both these events aboard well fancied mounts to return parity to the bragging rights.
However, it returned in the eleventh and closing event with the stable triple of Feanny secured by three-year-old maiden colt Happy Force (4-5) with Roman getting the better of Foster who rode 7-2 shot Chinita Estrella to be second by a neck.
Meanwhile, Queen Zan (7-5), ridden by two-kilogramme claimer Shavon Townsend for veteran trainer Louis Richards, was nearly six lengths clear of her nearest rival over the 900 metres straight of race six.
An hour and ten minutes later it was time for Dawkins, the 2022 champion, to take charge of the riding honours in races eight, nine and ten. Firstly, partnering Simba The Lion for trainer Norman Smith, Dawkins had the six-year-old gelding, bet at 4-1, in front for a three-length success over the 1400 metres of race eight.
Race nine run at 1200 metres was the second for Dawkins, significantly so as it was an emphatic 10½ -length success for Mojito, the juvenile champion of 2022 and the impressive 2023 winner of the 2000 Guineas. The Richard Azan conditioned colt was having his first run since December 2, 2023 in the Mouttet Mile.
The talented grey colt is expected to be in the Jamaica Cup where victory would guarantee him a spot for this year’s renewal.Declared by Michael Marlowe, Sugar Sugar (9-2) closed the Dawkins three-timer in front-running style clear by two and a half lengths over the 1100-metred distance.
This is just a reminder that these past champions over the last 15 years in Dane Nelson, Shane Ellis, Dick Cardenas, Anthony Thomas and Dawkins himself have all had extended engagements between Canada and the USA.
For the remainder of this season, with former six-time titlist Omar Walker and reigning Reyan Lewis in addition to Roman and Foster as well as those named above, owners will have an embarrassment of riches in selecting top riders to engage.
