AS expected, the feature race at the Park, the Cash Pot ‘Only One for Me’ trophy was a procession as the 1/9 favourite Princess Popstar, after toying with the opposition, strode away imperiously to win by nine-and-a-half lengths from Insane Bolt and Golden Bullet.

The Adore The Gold-Doc’s Paladin filly clocked 1:10.4 minutes for six furlongs which was faster than the time recorded by Blast Them Away in the ‘A’ class event earlier in the day. The stakes record time by Princess Popstar came behind splits of 22.3 and 45.4. The bay filly is trained by Phillip Feanny and is from the first crop of Adore The Gold progeny to race.

In another mouth-watering clash involving the two top-rated horses in the land, St Cecelia and Blast Them Away, the latter again got the upper hand in the dying stride of the six-furlong event for the None Such Trophy. St Cecelia (Shane Ellis) was involved in an up front duel with Rio Cobre (Leo Miller) with Blast Them Away (Dick Cardenas) well off the pace.

The stretch drive brought the house down as Cardenas came with Blast Them Away on the outside for a telling and eventual winning run, getting by St Cecelia and the fast finishing Palace Gold, who had momentarily taken the lead before Blast Them Away got there by half-a-length in a fast 1:11. 2 minutes. This was the second consecutive time that Blast Them Away was getting the better of reigning horse-of-the-year, St Cecelia.

If the ‘A’ clash caught the attention of race fans, the ninth tore the racetrack asunder. Dane Nelson, the defending champion and at the start of the day, six behind leader Omar Walker, took Alexander with a scorching late run to nip Walker in the ‘glass’, winning by a head. The win on Alexander completed a triple for Nelson, who received rapturous applause on his return to the winners’ enclosure.

Racing continues tomorrow with a 10-race card.