TRAINER Neive Graham and owner O’Shaun Connection were the toast at Caymanas Park yesterday as they teamed up to win two races on the nine-race programme.

The owner — trainer combination wins included Italiano, who romped home easily in the running of the $590,000 James B Dawes Memorial Trophy feature for three-year-olds and upward, that included native-bred five-year-olds non-winners of four over 1,300 metres.

Ridden by Omar ‘Hot’ Walker, Italiano broke well and settled into second position behind Agakhan, under Shamaree Muir, before taking control of the race approaching the half mile.

Italiano then responded well from the handling of Walker and powered home convincingly, winning by an ever-increasing five lengths to register his second consecutive victory.

Golden Bullet (Dane Nelson astride), who was outpaced into last position leaving the 1,000-metre marker, came with a strong run in deep stretch for second position ahead of a tiring Agakhan.

Shade Of Beauty, the mount of female apprentice Mellisa Ward, completed the frame in the small field of seven runners.

Italiano, a seven-year-old roan gelding by He’stherealthing– Pik A Trix, covered the distance in a decent 1:20:1 minutes behind splits of 23:3, 46:4 and 1:12:2 minutes.

“It was a pretty much straightforward race, as he (Italiano) is better than this claiming group and we have beatenGolden Bullet before, so I was confident in victory,” Walker told the Jamaica Observer.

The dynamic duo’s other winner was Persian Belle (Kerry-Gayle Robinson up), who was a comfortable six-and-a-half lengths winner over Perfect Flyer (Shane Ellis up) and Go Go Train (Aaron Chatrie aborad) in the fourth race over 1,820 metres. The winning time was 2:02:1 minutes.

Meanwhile, visiting Chavion Chow notched his first winner on home soil when he booted home the Phillip Feanny-trained Messithegreat to victory in the ninth and final event over 1,000 metres straight.

Racing continues next Saturday.

— Ruddy Allen