Northern Star, under a brilliant ride by Antonio Whitehall, won a breathtaking stretch battle with a resilient Stolen and tenacious Spartacus yesterday at the Garrison Savannah to secure back-to-back success in the Super Lotto Breeders’ Classic Condition Race.
Sent off under dark clouds in pouring rain under a track listed as good to firm, the son of Carpe Diem out of Aquarius Star rushed to contest the lead with front-runner Ninepoint Six-Nine.
The pair sprinted clear of Spartacus, Stolen and Nekitta through fractions of 26.1 and a half-mile of 51 flat.
Northern Star smoothly took up the running when Ninepoint Six-Nine swiftly threw in the towel after he found the pace too demanding.
Having cruised through the hill, Spartacus and Stolen got themselves into full gear to deliver the challenge to the champ, but the Mervyn Rollins and Victor Cheeseman-owned colt dug deep to hold on.
Stolen ran a gallant race to get within a neck of the winner, while Spartacus did very well to finish three-quarters of a length behind the top pair.
Butterfly, badly outpaced early despite her step up in class, saw out the race nicely to secure fourth position.
The triumph in the feature event along with an earlier victory in the BOA Trophy Handicap with A&A Racing filly Silver Bullet helped position Cheeseman to snatch the lead in the trainer’s category from Robert Peirce. (LY)