Race 10, the 1820-metre Royal Dad Trophy was the feature on day one of the two-day Gold Cup Weekend promotion by promoting company Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited.

The declaration of Toona Ciliata, the St Leger short-head runner up to Triple Crown champion Supreme Soul, was now given the task of carrying the top weight allotment of 57.0 kilogrammes (126 lb) against rivals which included this year’s Derby runner-up Sentient who was not a player in the St Leger.

Toona Ciliata ridden by the underrated Linton Steadman and conditioned by title-chasing second-generation trainer Anthony Nunes outstayed his rivals with the requisite speed and stamina and certainly impressed with an economy of effort in a very smooth gallop in the two-turn contest.

Sentient from the barn of trainer Gary Subratie challenged throughout but when Toona Ciliata and Steadman decided to go, Sentient had no answer, losing in the end by two widening lengths.

The Friday afternoon entertainment package got underway quietly when Patrick Lynch’s Bala Gris ridden by apprentice Daniel Satchell only needed this second racecourse appearance to shed his maiden tag for the first of a double by the trainer.

Lightly raced front-running Super Glitterman crossed to stand side from post position four and outsprinted rivals to award trainer Michael Beecham and champion jockey Anthony Thomas their share of the spotlight following victory in the carnival’s second event of the 22-race offering by the promoting company.

Subratie’s Wow Wow with Panamanian jockey Ameth Robles astride thoroughly outsprinted Wayne DaCosta’s Dejae’s Boy in the third race which was confined to foals of 2018.

It is interesting to note that the five juvenile races run this term have been won by only trainers Subratie (two) and DaCosta (three).

Trainer Steven Todd’s Dad’s Luck gave the third-generation trainer a double closed by DM Cutie with both ridden by Jemar Jackson in races four and seven, respectively.

Leading reinsman Christopher Mamdeen’s bustling attack wore down front-running, Nunes-trained Exhilarate with Rowan Mathie’s consistent sprinter Another Vigorous in sixth. This was Another Vigorous’s third win in 2019, which makes him a member of the top class and the possible leader to take the Caribbean Sprint Championship on Superstakes Day.

Mamdeen was back in the winners enclosure with Donovan Russell’s Nyoka Classic in the eighth and he also won the 11th when Synchronize’s sudden return to form landed a gamble at odds of 7/2 for trainer Boris McIntosh to give the apprentices five of the 11 races on the Friday card.

DaCosta’s Awesome Aviator, well ridden by apprentice Raddesh Roman, stayed on stubbornly to score in the fifth from the fast-finishing Salah with apprentice Reyan Lewis in the irons. The newly formed combination of DaCosta and Roman is flourishing at the moment.

Long-serving pigskin journeyman Delroy Beharie posted one of his rare winners, his third for this season, on the Patrick Lynch’s Adwa in the day’s ninth to seal the double for the former jockey turned seasonal top 10 on the trainer’s list. Adwa won at odds of 12-1, the longest shot of the 11 winners on the day.

Little wonder that there was only one winner of the exotic Pick-9 and the sole punter walked away with $2,330,641.

THE AWARDS

The Training Feat Award is presented to Anthony Nunes for Toona Ciliata’s machine-like galloping efficiency in the Royal Dad Trophy which is a performance more than worthy of the Best Winning Gallop Award. On a day when the winning rides required no real special skills to overcome any challenge or degree of difficulty, the Jockeyship Award goes to Jemar Jackson whose well-timed finish with DM Cutie was the best execution on the day in closing a double for the bubbling Todd outfit.