'Maneater' back with brilliant victory

SHE'S A MANEATER flipped on the turbo a half-furlong out to collar CHACE THE GREAT in yesterday's 1100-metre graded-stakes sprint, earning $709,800 for champion Wayne DaCosta, slashing Anthony Nunes' lead to $130,000 atop the trainers' championship.

For the second consecutive meet, DaCosta outgunned Nunes 2-1, also saddling ROYAL VIBES to victory in the third event after his rival won the second with impressive two-year-old EARN YOUR STRIPES, who clocked an eye-catching 1:25.3 for seven furlongs ahead of the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes on Boxing Day.

Returning to the races two weeks after barging through the starting gate, jumping the rail on to the infield and running through evergreen, causing her to be scratched out of the $13.9 million Diamond Mile, SHE'S A MANEATER repaid her fans with a scintillating victory, winning by a neck in 1:05.1.

CHACE THE GREAT ran his heart out, tackling MR UNIVERSE and PATRIARCH two and a half furlongs out and shot clear into the lane with Dane Nelson astride.

However, SHE'S A MANEATER, pushed to keep pace in sixth place by Omar Walker, turned for home like a locked missile and took aim at the leaders in the stretch run, improving into third a furlong out.

MAKING EVERY DOLLAR COUNT

Whizzing past stablemate MR UNIVERSE inside the last half-furlong, she reeled in CHACE THE GREAT, carrying 126lb as though it were 106, prevailing by a neck with the big weight.

Making every dollar count in his battle with Nunes, DaCosta picked up third-money with MR UNIVERSE and sixth-place with his distance-horse, PERFECT NEIGHBOUR, who he fitted with blinkers, a tongue-tie and figure eight, transforming the eight-year-old stayer into sprinter-for-a-day, tallying $847,750 from the event whereas Nunes' two runners, a distressed PATRIARCH and HOUDINI'S MAGIC, finished out of the money.

SHE'S A MANEATER's victory completed back-to-back winners for Walker, who upstaged DaCosta's 6-5 favourite, DRUMMER BOY, in the ninth event with Ian Parsard's SUPERLUMINAL, recovering from a slow start to knife through the field, taking over three and a half furlongs and repelling MY ELLE BELLE in the stretch run of the eight and a half furlong event.

Racing resumes next Saturday, followed by the Boxing Day meet, which could be the trainers' championship decider, with Nunes holding the aces in the $4 million event, which has a winner's purse of $2 million.

SHE'S A MANEATER is also expected to be in action on Boxing Day, returning in the Miracle Man Trophy at nine furlongs and 25 yards, a possible clash with Nunes' BIGDADDYKOOL, hunting the winner's purse of $546,000.