Nelson takes feature, Bryan notches double in Canada

EDMONTON, Alberta (CMC):

Jamaican jockey Dane Nelson won the feature CDN$50,000 Alberta Sire Stakes Derby Stakes with 8-1 choice BIG BAD INTAGLIO, but shared honours on Saturday's 10-race card with Barbadian Desmond Bryan, who rode a double.

Going six and a half furlongs in race seven, the 38-year-old Nelson produced a clinical ride aboard the brown colt to beat the three-year-olds by three-quarters of a length in 1:18.07 minutes.

Two-to-one choice LIL ZAPPER led most of the trip but faded to finish second, while favourite MUDINATOR was a length back in third.

Nelson entered the feature after finishing out of the top three in the preceding three races, but mustered a superb effort to get BIG BAD INTAGLIO over the line first.

LIL ZAPPER carved out the early splits, posting 22.26 seconds for the quarter and 45.27 for the half-mile, with ROUGH CUSTOMER, KISS ME HELLOW and MUDINATOR chasing, and BIG BAD INTAGLIO near the rear of the seven-horse field.

MUDINATOR challenged the leader at the three-sixteenth, but Nelson roused BIG BAD INTAGLIO at the top of the stretch to outrun his challengers.

Meanwhile, the 51-year-old Bryan was successful in the day's opener when he scored with 10-1 chance TIMBERS MOON in a 350-yard dash, before returning to win race eight over six furlongs with another 10-1 bet, RUMOHR REIGNS.

In the latter, Bryan stalked with the five-year-old gelding before engaging pacesetter SMART PLAY, pulling clear, and then holding off favourite BOSS MAN CAN and 2-1 bet FATHER O'FLAHERTY.