The Richard Azan-conditioned United States importee Eroy (Anthony Allen) trained excitedly and relished the opportunity to race over a distance of ground. Always going well, the medium-sized three-year-old colt outstayed Classic hopeful and odds-on favourite Tomohawk to win the opener.

Former two-time champion Shane Ellis has not allowed any other reinsman to partner the Christopher Morrison trained mare Shesaysyes. This, her fifth career gallop, proved to be more than four lengths superior to the next best of her eight rivals in winning the day’s second.

Salah (Kiaman McGregor), literally gifted the third at the weights, duly obliged with the appropriate response in the final 200 metres to overtake Coralando, whose rider Omar Walker tried to steal his customary trademark march from 800 metres out.

For the fourth event, big and strong-looking filly Casual Charm, after six attempts, has now shown a little of the requisite ability to match her looks. It was a front-running triumph to keep 2018 champion jockey, Anthony Thomas ahead of the colony with 13 wins this season and present trainer Victor Williams with his second 2020 trip to the winners’ enclosure.

Once again, the improving apprentice Reyan Lewis made full use of the opportunity to demonstrate how fast he is learning with another narrow victory. His balance and correct use of the whip were major decisive factors to get Gary Griffiths’ Bigman Union home in the fifth.

Recently licensed conditioner, Nicholas Smith got a winning sprint out of the moderate United States- bred six-year-old horse Supreme Authority to open his 2020 account with apprentice Romario Smith. Smith was having his second winning mount of the season in the afternoon’s sixth.

Visiting Barbadian veteran Simon Husbands had an easy task aboard the Nigel Nunes-trained Versatile Vision. The pair combined to win the seventh by nearly five lengths over stablemate DenDen as she prepared for the 2020 Futurities especially those restricted to fillies only.

In the nightcap, the hard-knocking four-year-old gelding Thepowersthatbe (Oshane Nugent) scored by over four lengths to show appreciation for this outing against opposition less demanding than he faced in his last half a dozen starts to give breeder/owner/trainer Carl Anderson his sixth win of the season.

Throughout 2019 the apprentices were able to win approximately half the races. With the emergence of Anthony Allen, Youville Pinnock, and Oshane Nugent riding across the spectrum of the stables, there maybe a repeat this year. It was five out of the eight races that went to these promising reinsmen on this card.

THE AWARDS

The Training Feat Award is presented to Nicholas Smith and the Best Winning Gallop to his lightly raced Supreme Authority for whom there was no margin for error over the short 600-metre gallop. Reyan Lewis cops another Jockeyship Award for his handling of Bigman Union to deny Anthony Thomas, who rode Jamaican Citizen, by only a neck.