Brilliant Patriarch lands Ahwhofah Sprint

Dick Cardenas appeared to briefly toy with the idea of tapping PATRIARCH with the whip a furlong out in yesterday's six-furlong Ahwhofah Sprint. However, that would have been a waste of energy aboard a horse literally winning on a canter.

PATRIARCH cruised to the front after a furlong, going past RAS EMANUEL, and was never asked a serious question by Cardenas, clocking 1:11.4, finishing two-fifths of a second outside stablemate SIEMPRE BUENO's stakes record set last year.

It was a telling return by the speedster, a winner of four of five starts as a two-year-old last season before finishing fifth on faulty legs in December's Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes.

OUT-OF-CLASS FASHION

Catching birds in the mornings at exercise, PATRIARCH won in out-of-class fashion, running against older horses for the first time, signalling what could be a possible shot against graded stakes company in the Caribbean Sprint in another three weeks.

PATRIARCH closed a three-timer for trainer Anthony Nunes and a hat-trick for Cardenas, one a chance ride, ironically in place of Anthony Thomas, whose lead he has now reduced to nine in the jockeys' championship.

Cardenas won races eight to 10, starting and closing with Nunes' NECROMANCER and PATRIARCH with Steven Todd's STORM PRINCESS betwixt in the ninth.

Nunes' first winner on the 11-race card came in the fourth race, BALLON D'OR, a gelding which started its career at his barn, which he has twice reclaimed this season in an all-out bid to reel in Wayne DaCosta atop the trainers' standings.

Todd also saddled three winners, SLY STALLOON in the sixth before STORM PRINCESS' narrow victory, beating LET IT SNOW by a neck.

It was even closer for Todd in the 11th, 7-5 favourite WOODHOUSE winning by a nose in a three-way photo from late-charging FLASHAWAY at odds of 67-1.

Racing continues at Caymanas Park on Saturday.