IN the absence of a sponsored race, champion conditioner Wayne DaCosta and Anthony Nunes, who is second in the standings, combined to dominate and highlight the midweek programme by saddling five of the nine winners on the card at Caymanas Park on Wednesday.

Champion jockey Omar Walker, who started the day in fourth place on nine winners, also had his best day in the saddle for the new season and took riding honours, also with a three-timer, to move up the jockeys’ standing to third with 12 wins — five off Ellis, who is on 17.

Leading trainer DaCosta led the way by closing the programme to mount his three winners, while Nunes posted two.

Nunes, who only a few days before got out of hospital, opened the programme with Saragossa, ridden by Dick Cardenas, and then double his success with Silent Image in the seventh under a well-timed ride from leading jockey Shane Ellis.

DaCosta and Walker combined to postThe Gummer, a 5-1 chance in the fourth race, and then returned to score back-to-back wins in the eight and ninth with 6-5 favourite New Kingston and 3-5 favourite Madura Gold, respectively.

In the absence of a trophy race, the penultimate eighth race, the $715,000 Overnight Allowance event, anchored the card and was won by New Kingston in a driving finish by a neck ahead of the fast overtaking Von Almighty, ridden by Cardenas.

A five-year-old imported gelding owned by E DaCosta, G Dulal-Whiteway, W Kong & Raymond Rousseau, New Kingston was smartly ridden by Walker and ran 1,700 metres in 1:46.4 to open his winning account as a five-year-old in the field of six runners.

Undaunted, who was well supported at odds of 3-1 and ridden by Larris Allen, finished anothe 1 1/2 back third with the early pace setter and 2-1 second favourite Excellence, partnered by Wesley Henry, completing the frame.