BEAUTIFUL Space came running strongly in the final 400 metres to win the

$516,000 Master Blaster Trophy feature by one length at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Sitting behind the pace as Risk Reward dictated the early fractions on the stand side, Beautiful Space — who escaped bettors as a 9-1 shot ridden by Devon A Thomas — got into top gear in mid track after emerging from a closely bunched group to grab the lead well into the final 150 metres to hold off a chasing Meelo by a length at the wire.

Owned and trained by Patrick Smellie, Beautiful Space ran 1,000 metres in a brisk 58.4 among a field of 12 Restricted Allowance 111 native-bred three-year-olds and upward (NW3). A field of 14 runners was declared to face the starter, but two were later declared non-starters.

Meelo, well supported at odds of 3-1 and carrying top weight of 56.0kg with Dick Cardenas astride, threw out a strong challenge to the winner passing the dummy rails, but his effort was not good enough to prevent the surprising filly from winning for the first time this season from five starts.

With the first two already deciding the outcome, Lord Admiral, the 3-2 favourite, piloted by claiming apprentice Jevvanne Erwin came away from the rest of the pack to grab third two lengths back with the highly fancied Explosive Report at odds of 3-1, who never raised a serious gallop completed the frame under Ameth Robles.

Beautiful Space, a bay filly by Spacelink out of Forbidden Beauty (Pangur Ban), was bred at Orange Valley Estates Ltd and was winning for the fourth time from 25 career starts and earned $282,050 as the winner’s share fore earnings of $1974,400 lifetime.

On the undercard earlier, Passa Passa trained by Welsh Soutar came running on along the running rails to win the $375,000 Clifford Stewart Memorial Cup by 1 3/4 lengths.

A 5-2 betting option ridden by claiming apprentice Robert Halledeen, Passa Passa ran 1,200 metres 1:15.3 to open his winning account for the season from eight starts in a field of nine for $250,000 – $210,000 claimers three-year-olds and upward.

Ten runners were declared, but Royal Dreamer was a later none starter. Rajput, well backed at odds of 2-1 ridden by Richard Mitchell and who chased the winner back to the line, was second with Venice Mellesa finishing third under Dick Cardenas as a 20-1 bet with the even money favourite Just A Cat completing the frame partnered by claiming apprentice Cavel Brown.

No trainer saddled more than one winner but former many time champion jockey Trevor Simpson shared riding honours with Halledeen with two wins each.