Hot favourite Captain Jamie runs them ragged

It could not have been easier. Five lengths was the margin. Indeed, it was one for the ages.

CAPTAIN JAMIE didn't just win Race 2 at Kranji last night. It was total annihilation.

He clobbered them and, if you had backed him to win, you would have been making your way to the payout counter at the top of the straight.

That was when Nooresh Juglall hooked his mount into the clear and gave chase.

Captain Jamie had, until then, stalked the pace from his spot in fifth position. He was always going well - tracked in turn by Sahaba.

But once the field had straightened, there was just one horse you wanted to be on.

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And when the Ricardo Le Grange-trained runner hit the front 300m out, the race was history.

If you were one of those who watches the races from the lawn, you would have heard the whips cracking and if you looked at the faces of the jockeys on the beaten brigade, you would have seen panic and resignation.

Indeed, such was the ease of Captain Jamie's victory and the condition of the horse that, even when he returned to the winner's enclosure to have his picture taken, he was hardly blowing.

That's the sign of a good horse and Juglall was quick to agree. He would say: "That was a very smart horse. We got him to settle and he really put it all together."

Captain Jamie was a popular winner and, on the strength of his victory, his win dividend of $9 must be seen as a gift.

The monkey off his back, watch out for more winning shows from this three-year-old. On yesterday's win, he does look to have that special something we call "class".

HIT HARD

However, two races later, punters were hit hard when Iffragal, another $9 favourite, couldn't fire a shot in the Initiation run over the 1,400m and had to settle for third.

The winner was another youngster with class. His name? FIRST LIGHT and, like Captian Jamie, he too made amends for a second-placed run in his last outing, to score a decisive win.

Ridden by Vlad Duric, First Light tracked the leader NEW SENSATION all the way and hit the front 150m out to claim a good victory. New Sensation stayed on for second spot with the hot favourite plodding home for third.

Trained by Mark Walker, First Light - who paid $15 on the win tote - was having just his third start. He will go on to win better things.