Evens favourite IMPERIALIST is eased down by jockey Richard Mitchell as he flashes past the winning post three lengths clear in the 1100-metre feature race for the Keino Martin Trophy at Caymanas Park yesterday. Mitchell rode two winners on the card, both for trainer Anthony Nunes. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

EVEN-MONEY favourite IMPERIALIST sloshed his way through the mud at Caymanas Park yesterday to win the feature race for the Keino Martin Trophy, in honour of the 2006 champion groom, by three lengths.

Ridden by hot jockey Richard 'Biah' Mitchell, the lightly raced 4-y-o gelding from the stables of Anthony 'Baba' Nunes was content to race prominently in third as the outsider CLIPPER led narrowly from YAMASHITA'S GOLD (6-1) in the 1100-metre race confined to non-winners of two.

YAMASHITA'S GOLD, with Ian Spence aboard, disposed of CLIPPER approaching the home turn. Bu turning for home three lengths clear of IMPERIALIST, she eventually gave way early in the last furlong as IMPERIALIST closed too strongly for her liking.

YAMASHITA'S GOLD kept on well for second, 2 3/4 lengths clear of 26-1 chance ALI SPENDER while the 6-5 second favourite PUNDIT disappointed in finishing fourth in a field of nine.

Back-to-back wins over

Bred by Owen and Solomon Sharpe and part-owned by Elias Haloute, IMPERIALIST ticked off back-to-back wins over the distance from only three starts and, from all indications, we are yet to see the best of him.

Later in the afternoon, the bang-in-form grey gelding NASATOL raced to his third consecutive win and his seventh from his last eight starts when putting away a good field of open allowance horses over 1100 metres.

Running at odds of 5-1 with apprentice Harriston Lewis riding for in-form trainer Robert Darby Sr., NASATOL was outpaced a bit in fourth position as the 6-5 second favourite EXPLOSIVE PEAK led comfortably from the evens favourite LA REINA in the field of seven.

But NASATOL was ridden to save ground on the rails into the straight and with EXPLOSIVE PEAK quickly coming under pressure from LA REINA and DIGI N' JIGGY on entering the straight, NASATOL quickened up nicely on the inside from early in the last furlong to beat LA REINA by 1 1/2 lengths.

High praise for NASATOL

Darby had high praise for NASATOL, saying the 'love-to-win' horse did not surprise him, despite stepping up in class and giving away weight as well.

"You must remember he was a successful campaigner at this level a year or two ago," he recalled.

"From the time I claimed him for $280,000 in mid-December, he has been improving steadily and is almost back to his best now. What's more, he acts on any going so I wasn't the least worried when it started to rain," added the veteran trainer.

Mitchell had a second winner in the Nunes-trained TALLAWAH (9-2), but was overshadowed by Lewis who chalked up his first triple, comprising NASATOL, 4-5 favourite LUMIERE in the apprentice race and 6-5 favourite SUPER NATURAL in the seventh.

Trainers Nunes (Imperialist, Tallawah) and Dennis Lee (All Fired up, Super Natural) posted two winners each.