Racing fans at Caymanas Park were on Saturday treated to some juvenile thoroughbred fireworks from the Anthony Nunes-conditioned Patriarch in the Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy — a Graded Stakes event for native-bred two-year-olds,and the second leg in the Supreme Ventures Limited-sponsored ‘Two-Year-Old Triple Crown’ series.

What was expected to be a mouth-watering rematch between the unbeaten

Patriarch andAnother Vigorous in the 11th running of the event capsized when the latter was scratched from the $3.6-million feature race.

The fleet-footed

Patriach, an offspring ofCasual Trick –Electrifying, in commanding fashion then turned the seven furlongs (1,400m) of the Pick-3 in a procession, winning by an expanding six lengths in a brilliant time of 1:25.3 minutes, which is just shades outside of the Stakes record of 1:25.1 done byThe Real Stream andPrincess Popstar.

With Dick Cardenas atop,

Patriarch shot into the lead and began to open up onCommander Two (Shane Ellis) chasing from second as they went by the six-furlong (1,200m) point of the race.

At the half-mile when all were expecting

Patriarch to kick home, Cardenas slowed down the pace and even withCommander Two getting closer to his long neck, the jockey waited until the stretch run to send the bay colt on his way.Patriarch responded well in deep stretch and crippled the field effortlessly on his way to his fourth-consecutive victory.

Commander Two, who was left wanting in the straight when the winner found extra, wobbled into second money ahead ofBrandy (Jerome Innis), who sneaked up on the inside rails to get pastHoney Ryda (Anthony Thomas). The splits were recorded at 23.1, 46.1 and 1:11.1.

“What I like about this horse is that fact that he is getting better and better with each race he runs. Honestly, today (yesterday), I thought that he would shorten a bit with the journey increased but he did the opposite. When I moved him at the furlong and half (300m) pole,

Patriarch took off and went away,” Cardenas told theJamaica Observer.

It was a second win on the 11-race card for Nunes and Cardenas, as the two earlier teamed up with

Siempre Bueno to win the seventh race over the five straight (1,000m) course.

This allowed Nunes to significantly cut into Wayne DaCosta’s lead in the race for the 2017 Trainers’ Championship. Nunes started the day just over $4 million behind DaCosta and at the end, based on preliminary figures was now under $2 million behind.

The rich Diamond Mile on Saturday next (December 2) will therefore be the decider in this intriguing championship.