KING ARTHUR won the battle of derby winners on Saturday, turning back CALCULUS to score a half-length victory in the seven-furlong Eros Trophy for Open Allowance/Graded Stakes runners at Caymanas Park.
The 2000 Jamaica Derby winner made the most of a light impost, 115lb, an 11lb advantage over CALCULUS, to land his second Open Allowance win in two months following his upset victory at the expense of DUKE at six furlongs in May.
Speedy even-money favourite, RUNAWAY ALGO, led under pressure from EROY and afterwards I’VE GOT MAGIC, before KING ARTHUR and CALCULUS, last year’s derby champion, launched their bids in the stretch run.
Running against the rail with champion jockey Anthony Thomas, KING ARTHUR surged forward inside the last half-furlong to overhaul RUNAWAY ALGO before holding off CALCULUS to win in 1:24.3.
KING ARTHUR handed leading trainer Jason DaCosta a second winner on the 10-race card following four-year-old JOHNCROW JEFF’s all-the-way triumph off a 13-month lay-up at four furlongs straight.
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Punters who missed out on the Ketch 9 mandatory payout of $256,990,stumped by BALAZO’s 13-1 upset in the third event for $550,000 claimers at six furlongs, have a Reggae 6 mandatory payout, starting at $10.3 million, to aim at on Monday’s whopping eight-race Emancipation Day holiday card.
Ian Parsard, whose SHE’S A WONDER romped at seven and a half furlongs in the eighth event for overnight-allowance runners, is expected to land Monday’s feature races with MAHOGANY in the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission Trophy at five and a half furlongs and BERNING RED at six-and-a half in the Emancipation Day Trophy for $750,000 claimers.
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