Emperorofthecats goes post to post for Harlequin Trophy

EMPEROROFTHECATS, running with Richard Henry’s eight-pound claim and five-furlong straight track bias in his favour on the faster stands’ side, made every post a winning one with 112lb, relegating howling favourite RUNAWAY ALGO to fourth in yesterday’s Harlequin Trophy for open-allowance runners.

Confirming his status as a course specialist, EMPEROROFTHECATS clocked 59.0 for a third win at the trip in his last 11 starts, striking at 16-1, one of three major upsetters on the 10-race card.

Having finished down the track behind I AM FRED and RUNAWAY ALGO at six and a half furlongs on April 8, EMPEROROFTHECATS’ perfect draw and light impost saw him turning the tables on the favourite, who struggled under topweight 126lb from post-position three.

Breaking smartly from stall seven in the eight-horse field, EMPEROROFTHECATS entered the main track with YELLOWSTONE for company before pulling clear inside the last half-furlong.

HUMBLING DEFEAT

DUKE closed from off the pace, relegating RUNAWAY ALGO to fourth at the wire, a humbling defeat for the United States-bred colt, who had clocked a zippy 1:30.4 at seven and a half furlongs last Saturday in the Seeking My Dream Trophy.

Other stunners included 29-1 shocker BOLD SAMI, running down even-money favourite ZABRATONE in the fifth event, resulting in a $2,057,161 Reggae 6 dividend to 10 winning tickets on mandatory-payout day.

Twilight 6 players weren’t spared, D HEAD CORNERSTONE landing the seventh event at 25-1, sending a $3.15 million carryover to Saturday’s card, which will feature the 1000 Guineas as the season’s first classic race for three-year-olds.

Linton Steadman and Roger Hewitt each rode two winners. Steadman won aboard CALIFORNIA GOLD and THALOS in the second and fourth events, respectively.

Hewitt landed the sixth astride MARKET PLACE and closed the card with ULTIMATE MACHINE, who turned back A GIFT FROM BEN on the home turn to run out a convincing winner at six furlongs.