Hard work and patience paying off is how trainer Anthony Nunes is describing the win by his three-year-old chestnut filly Exhilarate in a Restricted Allowance event on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at Caymanas Park.

Having last raced on September 2, 2017, Exhilarate returned to the races and put rivals in their place with a front-running two-and-a-three-quarter win going five and a half furlongs (1,100m). Exhilarate posted a good time of 1:06.2 for the distance after being eased up in her final strides to the wire.

“We bought her [ Exhilarate] from Philip Feanny back in November of last year, and we put her in training and she fell down one morning and injured herself. We turned her out and we brought her back and did a lot of hard work with her.

“I must tell you — the groom, my assistant trainers, the entire staff worked overtime with her, including the gate handlers. She is very highly strung but she is talented, and I have to thank a lot of people that got us to this point with Exhilarate,” Nunes revealed.

Nunes is now hoping that Exhilarate will develop into a nice sprinter.

“She is good; I mean she behaved, as we got to saddle her without much of an issue. And to run 1:06.2 coming off a layup 1:06.2 was pretty good, and once she settles down then she is going to have a bright future sprinting,” he said.

With Dick Cardenas riding, Exhilarate jumped right in front from the off and never looked back in a dominating display. She held a comfortable lead coming into the lane and when it looked like rivals were getting close, the chestnut filly found extra and powered home for her second career win from three starts.

JamalJames (Natalie Berger), who was outpaced earlier in the race, came through in the end for second position. Formal Gladiator (Oneil Scott), who chased the winner for most of the way, finished third.