THIS renewal of the 1,400-metre Eros Trophy, staged annually to honour the memory of one of the all-time great sprinters, was featured on the card offering 10 races. Toting 57 kilos in 1991, Eros established the track record of 1:22.4 for the trip.

This has rarely been threatened in the ensuing three decades. Fourteen-time champion Philip Feanny deems the locally foaled as the best thoroughbred he had the privilege and pleasure to school and then condition for its distinguished career.

Surprisingly, in a field of four and significantly well off at the weights, dominant winner Runaway Algo (USA) toted three more than the allotted 50 kilos and was third-fancied at 7-5. The four-year-old chestnut was presented in immaculate condition by Dale Murphy, voted the Most-Improved Trainer of the 2023 season.

Confidently ridden by Raddesh Roman, Runaway Algo (USA) was hard-held in reserve to the 400-metre home straight. The progressive importee required minimal persuasion from there on to better even money-supported I Am Fred (USA) by seven lengths, with Mahogany (4-5) just over three lengths further adrift in third.

The opening event over 1100 metres was the start of another good day for leading reinsman Reyan Lewis as Whizz Kidd — saddled by current champion and leading conditioner Jason DaCosta for a tag of $550,000 — cantered in by seven and a half lengths at odds of 9-5.

DaCosta had a second winner in maiden Phenomenal One (2-5) scoring over the 800 metres of race four, giving two-kilo claiming jockey Anthony Allen the first of his two winners on the day. Allen closed his double with 24/1 shot Regal & Royal, conditioned by Gary Griffiths, scoring in the 1400-metre Division II Overnight Allowance ninth event.

The title-seeking jockey Lewis’s second success came in race five with Patrick Lynch’s Prosecco (6-5) scoring by four and a half lengths over the 1000-metre straight course. Lewis then added a third in the form of Robert Pearson’s consistent grey filly Airstream (2-5) winning by nine and a half lengths over 1100 metres. Pearson achieved double success on the day as the closing event over the 1,000-metre straight was won by Posing Already (6-5), ridden by Tevin Foster.

The 2023 jockey title favourite, Lewis has now improved his season’s tally to 63 winning mounts with 37 race meetings to December 31 remaining. Foster’s lone success moves him to 45 wins whilst champion Dane Dawkins, winless on the card, remained on 44.

It is therefore beginning to look increasingly unlikely that Lewis, the first-option rider for the all-conquering DaCosta outfit, will be overtaken in normal circumstances. Incidentally, also unlikely is that DaCosta will not defend his title successfully, with his $30-million stakes earnings more than doubling that of former three-time champion Anthony Nunes to date.

An interesting winner on the card was Sunshine Cat (4-5) in the day’s second contested over 1500 metres. The nine-year-old mare, saddled by Anthony Dixon, has now won nine of her 68 career starts, with the last three coming consecutively all while being ridden by veteran O’Neil Mullings.

Whilst in race three, run at 800 metres straight, three-year-old debutant Smartasset, saddled by jockey-turned-trainer Tensang Chung and piloted by two-kilo claimer Matthew Bennett, won at 6-1. Race eight, Division One of the 1400-metre Overnight Allowance, went to Gary Subratie’s D Head Cornerstone (3-1) who was well ridden by Javaniel Patterson.

The Training Feat Award is presented to Tensang Chung for the schooling of Smartasset to win at the first time of asking in the seventh month of what should be his second season. The Best Winning Gallop came from D Head Cornerstone in a performance that required the thoroughbred to display speed, stamina and courage. The four-year-old colt was ably assisted by Patterson to earn him the Jockeyship Award for his judgement of pace, composure, and balance in extracting victory by a short head.