Odds-on favourite Father Patrick was perhaps less convincing than the betting suggested. Always in front, he had more momentum when it mattered and scored by just over one length. In winning, Father Patrick secured the opener for in-form conditioner Ian Parsard under robust handling by six-time champion Omar Walker.

Gary Crawford’s USA-bred, nicely named filly Solid Approach sprinted to an early advantage in the day’s second without being asked by mercurial reinsman Robert Halledeen.

The medium-sized daughter of successful stallion Cajun Breeze ran particularly well inside the final 200 metres to hold the lead safely by over a length, with Mr LFCH — an impressive winner on debut — failing miserably to justify odds-on favouritism in fourth.

Race three provided the talking point of the afternoon when apprentice Abigail Able held up confirmed sprinter, the Wayne DaCosta-trained Rojorn di Pilot behind front-runner Graydon (Dane Dawkins) to the 600-metre mark. Having pressed home an attack to lead in the upper stretch, DaCosta’s colt stayed on firmly to score by over four lengths in the 1600-metre gallop.

It was then on to the fourth, which ended with a hard-driven K D Flyer, saddled by Gary Griffiths, giving former champion Dane Nelson the first of four successes on the day.

Half an hour later, it was the turn of largely inactive rider Osive Donegal, in partnership with trainer Cashbert Khwalsingh, to visit the winners’ enclosure following winning the fifth-race gallop of five-year-old Danceallnight in the 62nd race of the horse’s career.

Paul Francis had secured two unplaced mounts before the sixth event and enjoyed a particular piece of good fortune when, in the absence of Reyan Lewis, champion trainer Anthony Nunes offered him the ride aboard Splendid Vision, whose late burst of speed decided the 1000-metre sprint by one and a half lengths.

The three-month wait for the seasonal first appearance of the smart filly Above and Beyond, conqueror of Classics favourite Mahogany in a juvenile event in December, materialised in the seventh. Anthony Nunes’ well-grown daughter of Blue Pepsi Lodge romped the event for by over six lengths for the trainer’s second, as well as that of Nelson, in a time of 1:39.3 for the virtual 1600-metre Classic preparation exercise.

The eighth was won by Robert Pearson’s debutant Alexa’s Lodge who enjoyed the smooth handling of Shane Ellis, running without a hint of greenness.

The ninth event went to Patriarch, saddled by Fitzgerald Richards, to give Nelson his third- and his fourth-consecutive victory aboard this winner of 10 of 21 career races.

Based on immediate past performance, there was no question of defeat for Spencer Chung’ s Sea Cruise, and the son of American Dance duly took Nelson to the closure of a popular four-timer in the nightcap.

THE AWARDS

The Training Feat Award is presented to Wayne DaCosta for sprinter Rojorn Di Pilot’s win over 1600 metres. That was the Best Winning Gallop of the day, and the Jockeyship Award goes to Abigail Able who induced the strong colt to relax so it could be rated to get the distance.