Finally rid of grade-one horses getting byes from the condition book, MIGHTY GULLY yesterday defied post-position one to beat old rival ANOTHER ONE in the Mabrouk Sprint at five furlongs straight.
Sent off as an even-money favourite with Tevin Foster, four-year-old MIGHTY GULLY, a daughter of 2016 Gold Cup winner Buzz Nightmare, first saw off United States-bred RICORICORICO in scorching splits of 23.2 and 45.4 for a half-mile.
Angled to mid-track by Foster, MIGHTY GULLY afterwards claimed the faster stands’ side when ANOTHER ONE came calling with Raddesh Roman, sprinting off to win the overnight-allowance event by five and a quarter lengths in 57.4.
MIGHTY GULLY had raced among overnight-allowance runners on April 6 but fell into the jaws of DESERT OF MALIBU, a grade-one horse competing two classes lower, allowed a bye by the conditions book.
Superior horses also got the better of MIGHTY GULLY in her two previous races, outsped by Bruceontheloose Trophy runner-up MONEY MARKET at five furlongs straight. Prior to that run, she had finished sixth in the Bruceontheloose behind American invader OF A REVOLUTION, runner-up MONEY MARKET and DESERT OF MALIBU.
Meanwhile, claiming-rider Richie Shakes handed punters a four-timer gut punch at odds of 9-1, 20-1, 34-1 and 4-1, dominating the nine-race card, which started innocently with champion jockey Raddesh Roman winning the first two races aboard fancied runners, 2-5 favourite SIR WONG DON and FLYBLUEJET at 2-1.
Shakes started his outsider assault aboard PRINCE DANIEL in the third at 9-1, breaking from post-position one at five furlongs straight to turn tables on CW TREASURE and 8-5 favourite SWEET BERN, who had finished ahead of him in back-to-back races.
Returning in the sixth aboard 20-1 shocker, BADBADTANESHA, Shakes nailed 2-1 favourite MODERN MONARCH stealing home with Tevin Foster.
Combining with trainer Michael Marlowe, who had struck with CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, Shakes returned to leave punters reeling in the seventh, pushing home 34-1 outsider SLAM SHARP, who stalked 1-2 favourite BOB THE BUILDER, BRAHMA BULL and FOUR THIRTY before outfinishing rail-running LOCKDOWN at a mile in the seventh.
Confirming that the day belonged to him, Shakes closed his four-timer with 4-1 chance AUSTOA, who outbattled 4-5 favourite AWESOME EMMA in the eighth, coasting home four and a quarter lengths clear of her maiden rivals in the fillies-only event at five and a half furlongs.
Racing continues at the weekend with another Saturday-Sunday meet to close action at Caymanas park for the month of April.
