Monarchy Invasion blew out punters with an $84 win price in the maiden trot, before A Better Lover paid $20 to win the 1700m c0 fillies and mares mobile pace.
A Better Lover is out of the star 3yr-old filly of the 1997-98 season, Under Cover Lover, but took 23 starts before finally clearing maidens in the hands of Nathan Williamson last night.
Monarchy Invasion is almost as well-bred, being the second foal out of former cup-class mare Summit Invasion (seven wins).
West Melton trainer-driver Ray Jenkins bought the son of Monarchy at the 2011 yearling sales for $11,000 but the past five years have been far from smooth sailing.
The gelding developed a chip in a fetlock as a 3yr-old and was operated on, and spent another 12 months in the paddock.
‘‘We operated then gave him another year, because he's well bred and we said we're not going to wreck him,'' Jenkins said.
‘‘He had a full 12 months out. It might have even been 15 months. We ended up putting him on the hills and letting him do long slow work on the hills - just grazing. It was quite a steep hill and he came back in fit and developed. He's a muscly wee horse.''
Monarchy Invasion qualified as a 5yr-old in May and Jenkins ‘‘brought him up slowly'' before giving him a start at Forbury Park.
His debut almost produced a second until he galloped in the home straight, so Jenkins took him to Central Otago over the Christmas holidays for starts at Omakau and Roxburgh.
‘‘He was really on a learning curve - we took him up there, he learned a little bit and we changed gear tonight and he won,'' Jenkins said.
‘‘As soon as I pulled the earplugs, he levelled up then had the better of the other horse after 100m.''
Asked whether Monarchy Invasion could be a leading chance in c1 races, Jenkins was unsure if that would be the case in the next month or so.
‘‘I don't know about that - we can only try. He'll do a good job next year in the c1s, but we might end up taking him to Manawatu or something [this season] and just give him two or three more runs.
‘‘I do think he will be quite a nice horse - he's so much like his mother. I drove his mother and she went through to cup class, and he's a dead spit of her.''
Punters of favourites would have grabbed the form guides and turned them into origami swans after the first four races.
The big prices returned by Monarchy Invasion and A Better Lover were followed by Franco Nixon ($14.40) and Space Ace ($30.40) in the next two races.
