RACING fans witnessed a rare and thrilling feat on Saturday as in form riders Tevin Foster and Raddesh Roman redefined excellence by shattering the 100-win barrier for the season.

The stage was set for a nail-biting showdown as Foster and Roman entered the nine-race card tied on 99 wins each. The tension was palpable as the two titans of local racing vied for supremacy.

Roman drew first blood, riding Sensational Satin to victory in the opening event for trainer Winchester McIntosh, bringing up his 100th winner and taking the lead in the jockeys’ race for the first time in nine months. He doubled his tally aboard Uncaptured Empress in the third race, pushing his count to 101.

However, Foster was far from defeated. With a dazzling display of riding prowess he reeled off four winners to seize the advantage. His milestone 100th victory came aboard
Workout Cru in the fourth race for owner-trainer O’Neil Markland.

Foster’s other winners were Mr Senator (fifth race), Irish Wish (sixth race), and
Supremasi (eighth race). The latter three victories came courtesy of trainer Anthony “Baba” Nunes.

As the dust settled, Foster held a slender 103-101 lead over Roman in the jockeys’ championship heading into Sunday’s nine-race programme. Robert Halledeen is the closest to the leading pair with 50 wins. On Sunday, Foster has nine rides, while Roman has five mounts.

On Saturday, the feature race — the 51st running of the $2.5-million Philip Feanny Gold Cup, a Graded Stakes/Open Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upward over seven furlongs (1,400m) — was won in fine style by Funcaandun.

Trained by Jason DaCosta and ridden by Halledeen, Funcaadun outran stablemate
Is That A Fact, with Foster aboard, by three parts of a length to win the crown jewel of local handicap events. The winning time for the race was 1:26.0 (23.2 x 46.4 x 1:12.3).