Dane Dawkins, champion jockey 2022, on winter break from Assiniboia Downs in Canada, reeled off a hat-trick of wins on Saturdays's 11-race card, including an impressive overnight-allowance victory aboard MOJITO, last year's 2000 Guineas winner.
Dawkins shared the spotlight with title-chasing Raddesh Roman, who also rode three winners to rival Tevin Foster's two-timer, edging 115-114 ahead in their battle atop the jockeys' standings.
MOJITO, not seen from since last December's Mouttet Mile, easily tracked the pace in fourth before easing to the rail approaching the home turn and taking over from rank-outsider POSING ALREADY, clocking 1:12.3 for a 10-length win at six furlongs.
Meanwhile, Roman and Foster exchanged narrow victories in three events to the delight of their fans.
However, Roman literally had the last say, driving home 4-5 favourite HAPPY FORCE in Race 3, Series 3, of the BGLC-TOBA Millionaires Series to hold Foster's persistent challenge aboard 7-2 chance CHINITA ESTRELLA at five furlongs straight, closing a rare jockey-owner-trainer three-timer for Philip Feanny and ACK Stables.
Roman had earlier won back-to-back races with Feanny and ACK Stables' importees, FEARLESS FORCE and IMPRESSIVE FORCE, whose thriller by a nose over SUPREMASI in the third marked the first of three close finishes between the battling riders.
Chasing SUPREMASI relentlessly in the seven-and-half furlong event for imports, non-winners of three races, and native non-winners-of-four, IMPRESSIVE FORCE won by the narrowest of margins after wearing down his local rival at the wire.
Foster split horses to win the fifth at five and a half furlongs astride 5-2 chance HERE COMES DOC without incident, closing best a half-furlong out to collar long-time leader ARIA'S REIGN, who shook off challenges from PRINCESS IFIYAH, ERTUGRUL and PRINCESS AKILAH, looming dangerously close in mid-track with Roman.
In the seventh at five furlongs straight, it was Foster's turn to send his fans into a frenzy, using the stands' side track bias to rally 8-5 chance LEGIT BOSS against 3-5 favourite ACKNOWLEDGEME, who ran a big race from post-position one with Roman, losing by three-quarter length to his rival.
Meanwhile, last year's Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) sale-topper, MISS MONEYPENNY, had the tables turned on her by imported UNSPUN in the six-furlong Hover Craft Trophy after making all to beat the imported colt at five and a half furlongs in the recent Princess Popstar.
With a $1 million BGLC-TOBA Millionaires Series bonus at stake for eligible runners, MISS MONEYPENNY, who won her first race and $1 million bonus in Series 1 for native two-year-olds on August 1, got a rude awakening, bidding for a second $1 million bonus and hat-trick of wins in her second race against maiden foreigners.
Tackled by far-striding UNSPUN with Christopher Mamdeen, MISS MONEYPENNY surprisingly had no response to the foreigner, who she had easily beaten in the Princess Popstar by three and a quarter lengths.
Regrettably, UNSPUN, who was supplemented for BGLC-TOBA bonus eligibility in the Princess Popstar when beaten by MISS MONEYPENNY, failed to win the confidence of his connections, who opted to run without supplementation of $150,000, sending the bonus $1 million forward as a carryover to November 30 for a total of $2 million awaiting an eligible winner at seven furlongs.
In contrast, it was third time's the charm for HAPPY FORCE's connections in Race 3, Series 3, of the Millionaires Series, three-year-old maidens, reaping success after being supplemented for eligibility in three consecutive races.
Racing continues on Saturday with the Jamaica Cup at nine and a half furlongs round, a win-and-you're-in for December US$250,000 Mouttet Mile, which will have six overseas entrants after being won last year by ROUGH ENTRY, a Florida invader, trained by Rohan Crichton.
Saturday will also feature a BGLC-TOBA Millionaires event, Series 1, Race 3, native two-year-old maidens, contesting the Jamboree Sprint at six furlongs.
