Nelson wins feature in double at Century Mile

EDMONTON, Alberta (CMC):

REIGNING CHAMPION Dane Nelson nailed the feature CAN$50,000 RedTail Landing Handicap with favourite MISSCZECH as he came away from Friday’s nine-race programme at Century Mile with an impressive double.

Astride the five-year-old mare in a six-furlong sprint in race seven, the Jamaican produced a clinical ride to reach the wire two and three-quarter lengths clear in a time of one minute, 08.73 seconds.

Nelson followed up in race eight with 2-1 choice DON’T LET ME DOWN, guiding the four-year-old to a one and a half length score, to notch his second win of the evening.

He has logged seven wins from 35 mounts for the season, which got under way May 4 and wraps up September 14, and is four adrift of leader Jose Mariano Asencio.

Trinidadian Keihton Natera and Barbadian Kyle Carter are both alongside Nelson on seven wins.

The 40-year-old Nelson missed out in races four, five, and six but finally came good when he combined with MISSCZECH to dismiss the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares.

They duelled with 13-1 choice PRETTY ARIA – ridden by Barbadian N’Rico Prescod – before grabbing the lead leaving the backstretch, putting away their challenger and storming to the wire strongly.

Nelson’s second win came in contrasting fashion, this time bringing DON’T LET ME DOWN with a late run to get the better of the three-year-olds and upward in another six-furlong sprint.

Eleven-to-one chance SIMPLY WICKED, 4-1 bet BRATTON, 13-1 choice PERDITION, and 7-1 bet FROSTEDBIRD all battled through the half-mile before Nelson brought DON’T LET ME DOWN through traffic to outrun the leaders.