Campesino, Butler Cabin capture feature races

CAMPESINO and BUTLER CABIN, both highly fancied, won the co-feature races at Caymanas Park yesterday in contrasting fashion, the Philip Feanny-trained CAMPESINO landing the open allowance race over 1400 metres for the Gladiator Trophy to win for the second consecutive raceday over the same distance.

BUTLER CABIN, meanwhile, won the third race over 1100 metres for the War Zone Sprint Trophy as the 7-5 favourite. Ridden by champion and leading jockey Dane Nelson for in-form trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes, BUTLER CABIN ran on strongly from just off the early pace set by WOMAN IS BOSS (7-2) to catch and beat hat-trick seeker CRUCIAL (2-1) close to home, winning by half a length.

Veteran jockey Dennis 'Tough Gong' Brown, 49, who recently returned to the saddle after a 16-year absence, scored one of the biggest upsets in ages when storming through aboard the 500-1 outsider BLESSTINE (paid over $25,000 to win) in the eighth race over 1400 metres. Brown had been living and working in England as an exercise jockey.

Nelson, meanwhile, rode two winners on the card to widen his lead over arch-rival Dick Cardenas to seven (98 to 91). But it could have been worse as Nelson was disqualified by the stewards after winning the eighth race aboard 4-5 favourite GREEN BERET, this for causing interference in the latter stages. The race was awarded to MINISTEROFJUSTICE at 4-1.