It is still early days yet, but if the manner in which dethroned champion trainer Anthony Nunes and his young stable jockey Tevin Foster has started the new year is any indication, racegoers should be in for another exciting season.

Both Nunes and Foster — for a second-consecutive raceday — combined to secure a double, including Curlin’s Affair, who topped a competitive Overnight Allowance field for the Security Department Trophy, to close Saturday’s nine-race card at Caymanas Park.

Sent off at odds of 5-2, Curlin’s Affair was expected to play second fiddle to Jason DaCosta’s down-in-class Make Up Artist (Robert Halledeen) in the five furlong (1,000 metres) straight event, but instead proved too good on the day for the overwhelming favourite.

The five-year-old Michros-owned chestnut horse, running from the number seven draw, came from well off the pace to finish tops in a fast 58.2 seconds on a sloppy track.

Curlin’s Affair was three-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Princessshootingstar (Oneil Mullings), with Make Up Artist in third. Nunes’ other charge Nuclear Noon (Bebeto Harvey) was fourth.

Nunes and Foster earlier won the fifth event with Monaco, while DaCosta, the newly minted champion trainer, and young rider Ramon Napare also won two races each.

DaCosta’s winners Boasey (Omar Walker) and Iannai Links (Reyan Lewis) were in the second and third events, with Napare’s winners coming in the seventh and eighth races aboard Roraima and Xceptional Babz for trainers Keffin Murray and Norman Smith, respectively.

Racing continues next week.

— Sherdon Cowan