Review of race day — Saturday, September 12, 2020
Rivalry for jockeys’ title beginning to boil
Trainer Wayne Dacosta’s consistent maiden Sweet Toppins was presented with a gift in the opening event. Try as he might, title-chasing reinsman anthony Thomas could not get her to win less than 16 lengths over the extended circular nine furlongs course.
Half-an-hour later, another gift was on offer to be accepted by jockey Dick Cardenas on behalf of champion trainer Anthony Nunes when the very leniently weighted filly Corazon had just over two lengths to spare over nine not so fortunate rivals in the second event.
Dacosta secured his second visit to winners’ enclosure after the day’s third when his smart juvenile debutant Den Street outclassed half-a-dozen rivals by seven lengths easing down.
This was the first of a double for hard-working Phillip Parchment, who had no easy task in getting his mount, In The Blood, trained by Patrick Fong, to prevail in a virtual match race with front-runner Awesome Glitter, ridden by apprentice Roger Hewitt, for the ultimate honour in the eighth of the 11 races on the card.
Five-year-old Lightning Mcqueen was good enough to win the fourth despite drifting right towards the stand side in the home straight. This victory was due in no small measure to the skill and experience of leading rider Dane Nelson for jockey-turn-trainer Fernando Geddes.
Musketoon (Tevin Foster) produced his customary turn of finishing speed to win the fifth for Phillip Elliott —another jockey-turn-trainer— to land the first of his double.
In-form claiming apprentice Oshane Nugent, for his first of two wins, induced a runaway effort for trainer Elliot to secure his second when Laws of the Code, clear from early, escaped from her field by 10 lengths in the sixth.
Nugent’s second came in the 10th when Patriarch out-sprinted rivals to claim the Open Allowance contest for trainer Fitzgerald Richards.
A rivalry for 2020 riding honours has emerged recently between former threetime titlist Nelson and 2018 champion Anthony Thomas, the only truly genuine talent licensed in the last decade.
Spencer Chung’s lightly raced filly Truly Amazing provided Nelson with his second winner which was achieved in a bruising shoulder-to-shoulder contest with Sir Kel in the day’s seventh over the straight course to hold his lead at 43 wins over Thomas’ 41.
Following the resumption after the Covid-19-induced break, trainer Alford Brown, who is enjoying a nice spell of winners, posted his improving filly Cased Closed (Linton Steadman) to win the ninth.
Fitzroy Glispie’s Money Magnet (Reyan Lewis), who was three lengths third to champion Wow Wow in Jamaica Two-year-old Stakes but had his Classic programming interrupted by injury, missing the 2000 Guineas, prepped for the St Leger with a promising front-running triumph in the 11th over the nine-furlong round course.