THE feature event on the nine-race card was another renewal of the 1400-metre Prince Consort Stakes run as the day’s seventh event for three-year-old colts and geldings aspiring for success in the 2021 Futurities.

Juvenile champion of 2020 Further And Beyond, conditioned by champion Anthony Nunes, was out for his first appearance this season and displayed significant physical improvement in the post parade.

Ridden by regular pilot Dane Nelson, Further And Beyond’s attempt to give four kilogrammes to the Jason DaCosta-trained Billy Whizz, ridden by Anthony Thomas, made for a spectacular battle in the home stretch as the joint champion jockeys battled each other for supremacy. Both horses were in a dispute for leadership from 750 metres out, well clear of the rest of the pack, with Further And Beyond crucially on the inside.

Thomas is the most talented rider emerging in the last decade, winning his first championship in 2018, and must be a wiser young rider now as the more accomplished Nelson, in a clever piece of old-fashioned ‘race-riding’, gained a narrow though vital advantage in the final part of the bend by taking Billy Whizz a little wide to gain an important, albeit marginal increase in the lead. Both horses stayed on well in the last 200 metres but Further And Beyond had a hard-fought short head advantage at the winning post.

The form of apprentice Youville Pinnock continued with victory in the 1300-metre opening event with Dennis Pryce’s Lalala Bamba, as for the second time in 24 hours the jockey got the better of joint champion Dane Nelson in a close finish.

Half an hour later Pinnock was in the winners’ enclosure again, having ridden an accomplished finish aboard Patrick Lynch’s Pure Heart to prevail by a neck over well-fancied Pakman (Matthew Bennett) in a could-go-either way stretch run battle.

Veteran owner-trainer Michael Beecham posted Dr Banner (Shane Richardson) to win the 800-metre third event while the 1100-metre fourth event was won by the Wayne Parchment-trained My Smokey for rider Andre Powell’s first win in over a year.

United States-bred Chinamax (Mario Chong) returned to form with a two-length victory for trainer Tensang Chung who saddled his fifth winner this year here.

King Arthur, the 2020 Jamaica Derby hero, made his class count in no uncertain terms in the 1000-metre-straight sixth event. Having worked spectacularly well in preparation, Anthony Thomas having ridden the gelding in seven of his last 10 races made familiarity decisive in this three-length triumph. This performance augers well for likely future successes for trainer Jason Dacosta with this son of Natural Selection.

Race eight over 1820 had an especially close finish with Dane Dawkins’ enterprising tactic aboard Heavenly Glitter trained by Gary Subratie. This denied further success for the DaCosta/Thomas team when 7/5 favourite Sir John had to settle for defeat by the closest possible losing margin of a nose.

Patriarch, trained by Fitzgerald Richards, duly outsprinted his opponents by nearly seven lengths in the 1100-metre nightcap to give Dane Nelson a double on the day.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Jason DaCosta for turning out King Arthur in unbeatable condition over a distance considered well short of his best, with the gelding delivering the Best Winning Gallop by a distance. Dane Nelson’s performance aboard Further And Beyond is deserving of the Jockeyship Award.