Campesino nabs rivals late

CAMPESINO motored from last to first with veteran jockey Ian Spence to beat ARMAGEDDON by a head, scoring a mild 5-1 upset in yesterday's 1000-metre straight open allowance at Caymanas Park.

Bumped at the start and tailed off for the first two furlongs, the down-in-class eight-year-old gelding produced a telling turn of foot inside the last furlong to reel in a wall of horses battling for the lead.

Closing fast along the inner rail with topweight 126lb, CAMPESINO rushed past ORPHEUS, POKER STAR, ANOTHER BULLET and WONG DON to lead a half-furlong out.

ARMAGEDDON, who was switched from behind horses a furlong out, came flying on the wide outside at odds of 7-1, forcing a photo, but arrived too late with Odean Edwards.

A top campaigner, who won three grade one events last year, CAMPESINO returned to open allowance a month ago, his first outing this season since finishing fourth in November's Caribbean Sprint.

Female apprentice Natalie Berger and Panamanian Dick Cardenas each rode back-to-back winners.

Cardenas won the second and third races aboard POLLY B and PECKING CRUZ, respectively.

Berger notched her double astride STRIKINGLYGORGEOUS and CLASSY VISHALA in the sixth and seventh, respectively.

Racing continues at Caymanas Park on Saturday with the running of the season's final three-year-old classic, the 10-furlong Jamaica St Leger.