Dane Nelson .. won aboard MUCHO GUSTO.

ANTHONY NUNES' MUCHO GUSTO yester-day outclassed a brave SLOGAN to win the 1400-metre ninth event for open allowance horses at Caymanas Park.

One of three winners for Dane Nelson on the 10-race card, even-money favourite MUCHO GUSTO broke sharply from post-position five in the eight-horse field, disputing the lead with 11-1 outsider BULLET TRAIN and 3-1 fancy SLOGAN down the backstretch.

Asked to run

Beaten into third place at 1100 metres by WHEEL N DEAL and MINISTEROFJUSTICE on December 27, MUCHO GUSTO revelled in the longer distance, keeping pace along the rail as BULLET TRAIN faded and MACHISMO came around from his outside draw to form a threesome entering the straight with SLOGAN between horses.

Asked to run by Nelson, MUCHO GUSTO kicked off the turn to race a half-length clear of SLOGAN running a big race with 56.0 kilos.

Nunes' runner stayed on strongly over the final furlong and a half to beat SLOGAN by a length and a quarter, posting a fast time of 1:25.4, clearly stamping his class on the event after placing third in the CTL Gold Cup for grade one horses on December 6.

SLOGAN, who always had an uphill task taking on MUCHO GUSTO, a seasoned open allowance runner, was far from disgraced, finishing clear of third-place NASATOL and MACHIS-MO, who weakened into fourth.

Nelson, runner-up to Omar Walker in last year's jockeys' championship, also booted home GIVEITTOMEBABY in the third for Richard Azan and closed the programme with a thrilling finish aboard DIGI N' JIGGY, a 10-1 shot, outfinishing another outsider, ARDRIGH at 17-1.

Nelson's three-timer moved him up to third in the early standings, trailing Walker and Paul Francis on six wins apiece.

Walker posted a double, POINT AND CLICK in the second and REAL NATIVE in the sixth to join Francis, whose only win was aboard 7-1 shot SINGINGIN-THERAIN in the seventh at 1600 metres.

Trophy race

The afternoon's trophy race, run as the first event, was won by Neive Graham's PURE JUSTICE, who virtually made all the running at 1100 metres with Panamanian rider Dick Cardenas for his fourth win in five starts.

On a day stacked with bankers, the Pick-9 payout was $200,000 for five winning tickets each. The Super-6 payout was also lucrative, a cool $25,209, considering the number of winning favourites.