Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

Finishing like a train, DIESEL ran through in the last furlong to win the Easter Sprint Cup overnight allowance feature by 2-1/2 lengths at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Offering odds of 7-2 with in-form apprentice Omar Walker riding for 14-time champion trainer Philip Feanny, DIESEL, who is often tardy at the start, broke sharply on this occasion but was outsprinted by 2-1 favourite DANCING SAM on the rails, RIGMAROLE on the outside and highly fancied BULLET TRAIN (5-2) in the nine-strong field.

As they swung into the straight, BULLET TRAIN and DANCING SAM quickened into the lead, with FREE FALL looming for a challenge between horses at this stage.

But just when it seemed the race would be decided among these three leaving the furlong pole, along came DIESEL widest of all with a terrific burst of speed, sweeping by the leaders midway the last furlong to win going away.

In the battle for second, BULLET TRAIN held on by a neck from 12-1 shot FREE FALL, who in turn was inches ahead of DANCING SAM on the rails and 5-2 chance COMMANDING LIGHT, who was denied a clear run on the inside from early in the straight and ended up fifth after tacking to the outside.

Walker, who has been riding in good form in recent weeks - booting home his first three-timer on Wednesday, March 28 - said: "I was hoping he would break sharply on this occasion and when he did, I relaxed him for the first half of the race.

"Although I was stopped at the half-mile, I decided to keep him on the outside into the straight and switched the whip to the left hand to get him to change his lead leg.

"He just exploded on them in the last furlong and I was able to ease him down in the closing stages," explained the young rider.

Owned by Knock Out and bred by Mark Azan, the six-year-old chestnut gelding by Law Of The Sea out of Psyche posted his first win since November 1 of last year.

Feanny had a second winner on the nine-race holiday programme in his lightly-raced colt I'M D'MAC, a 3-2 favourite with Trevor Simpson up, in the three-year-old maiden race.

Also notching two winners were trainer Christopher Morrison and jockey Oneil Mullings, both teaming up to win the fifth with 7-1 chance BABY RENEE and COMMON 'D' at 10-1 in the nightpan.