Roan Ranger wins from the front

If there was a prize for the most impressive winner on Sunday, ROAN RANGER would surely rank as one of the nominees - if not the winner.

The Class 5 galloper gave jockey Nooresh Juglall a sedan-chair ride in Race 4 - crossing the line with four-and-a-quarter lengths to spare from Tiger Bay with the others well out of it.

Kudos to Juglall who rode a masterful front-running race on the Irish-bred.

STOLE THE LEAD

Not happy with the slow pace in the 1,600m race, he stole the lead at the 1,000m mark and, at once he had the others having to reassess their pre-race strategies.

After all, Roan Ranger had come off the pace in his last win, charging down the stretch over the last 200m to score. Yet, there he was, playing catch-me-if-you-can from deep in the back stretch. If they expected him to fold up in the run home, they were sadly mistaken.

Juglall had nicked the goodies and when they made that sweeping turn which led them to the top of the stretch, he had his mount on a snug hold.

Relishing his new role up front, the Sonny Yeoh -trained runner got better and better. At that stage, had Juglall stolen a look behind, he would have seen agony and panic on the faces of the chasing pack as they dropped further and further back.

First to get the staggers was Across The Sea. Then Skyhawk and Zahir. Only Tiger Bay looked a genuine threat but it soon became apparent his mind was making appointments his body could not keep.

Such was Roan Ranger's dominance, he was able to put the race to bed at the 300m mark.

Roan Ranger paid $23 for the win. More importantly, he has has now pushed his earnings close to the $80,000 mark.

Not bad for a Class 5 galloper from a battling yard.