Money Magnet wins Cliggott feature
RI CHAR DA ZAN’ S progressive four-year-old filly, MONEY MAGNET, yesterday turned the tables on CHACE THE GREAT to win her first grade one race, running strongly against the rail to land the Eileen Cliggott Memorial Handicap at odds of 2-1.
SIEMPRE BUENO left the gate like a bullet with Wesley Henry, tearing away down the backstretch with CHACE THE GREAT and MONEY MAGNET in chase.
The pair caught up with SIEMPRE BUENO a half-furlong out, CHACE THE GREAT in mid-track, and MONEY MAGNET down along the rail.
CHACE THE GREAT got first run on the leader but started hanging to the right when coming under pressure with 55.0 kilos.
Running light at 52.0 kilos, MONEY MAGNET motored to the lead with Dane Dawkins to win the event by a length in a nippy 1:18.2 two weeks after graduating to grade one with a strong victory against open allowance company.
Champion apprentice Anthony Thomas teamed up with Azan earlier in the afternoon to boot home the first of three winners on the 10-race card, going two clear of Shane Ellis atop the jockeys’ standings.
Thomas scored a battling win with Azan’s 8-1 outsider, HONEY RYDA, who beat 6-1 chance NADESHICO by a half-length.
Wayne DaCosta’s 1-9 favourite, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, finished last in the six-horse field, losing his first race in four starts, a shocker for pundits, which, along with FLASHY MAMA MIA, a 15-1 stunner in the sixth race, resulted in a $1.6 million Sunrise 6 carry-over to next Saturday’s meet.
Thomas’s second winner was SWEET DESTINY, who made all to land the fifth race at 1000 metres straight at odds of 3-1.
He returned to seal his three-timer with short-priced EL PROFESOR, who won the 1300-metre seventh event at odds of 1-4. EL PROFESOR disputed the lead with wellbacked debutant WESTERN LEGEND (9-2) before moving away in the stretch run.
Another debutant, REGGAE ROAD, closed well for second with Ellis, who returned in the following event to score a runaway win aboard even-money favourite PIANO MAN.
The day’s longest shot, ALDEBARAN at 36-1, brought down the curtains and many bets, forcing carry-overs in the superfecta ($72,215), hi-five ($156,175.50), and the pick-4 single-winner bonus still on the run at $6.1 million after a consolation payout of $20,000 to winners.