Pack Plays bounced back to winning ways as he produced a dominant gate-to-wire performance in the Graded Stakes/Open Allowance contest for the Eileen Cliggott Memorial Trophy over six and a half furlongs (1,300m) at Caymanas Park on Saturday

Ridden by Panamanian jockey Ismael Velasquez and trained by Ricardo Mathie, the four-year-old American-bred dark bay colt justified his 7-5 favouritism with a flawless display.

In fact, expectations of a thrilling match-race against the highly regarded local-bred filly Atomica (Raddesh Roman) quickly dissipated as Pack Plays seized control early and never looked back.

Breaking smartly from post position three, the son of Stay Thirsty and Standard Deal engaged in a brief duel with Atomica before asserting his dominance. Velasquez expertly guided Pack Plays to the front, and by the furlong pole, the jockey’s subtle urging saw the Vincent Maine-owned colt surge further ahead to claim a resounding four-length victory.

Ricardo Mathie's connections share a photo opportunity with Pack Plays (right) and Wall Street Trader after a one-two finish.

Pack Plays stopped the clock at a brisk 1:18.1 after splits of 23.2, 46.4, and 1:11.3, as he showcased his raw speed and stamina after two subpar performances in the Mouttet Mile and on December 24. The victory marked his second win in five starts since arriving on local soil and solidified his status as one of the top contenders in his class.

His stablemate, Wall Street Trader (Shavon Townsend), ran a strong race to close for second, while Atomica had to settle for third. Is That A Fact (Robert Halledeen) rounded out the top four in the race.

Meanwhile, Shane Ellis was the standout jockey on the day as he registered two wins on the nine-race card—first aboard Anthony Nunes’ Tigeramedat in the second event and later with Oral Hayden’s Unruly Mo in the eighth race.

Racing continues on Sunday with another nine races on offer.