Lucky punter pockets $11.75m in Twilight 6

July 14, 2025
WALL STREET TRADER (right), ridden by Ramon Nepare, running at odds of 16-1 wins the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame Stakes Trophy over six furlongs, just ahead of Legacy Isle (Raddesh Roman) at Caymanas Park on Saturday.
WALL STREET TRADER (right), ridden by Ramon Nepare, running at odds of 16-1 wins the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame Stakes Trophy over six furlongs, just ahead of Legacy Isle (Raddesh Roman) at Caymanas Park on Saturday.

WALL STREET TRADER, stunning LEGACY ISLE at odds of 16-1 in the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame Stakes, triggered an avalanche of upsetters in the Late Triple but didn't stop one punter from raking in $11.75 million as the lone winner of the Twilight 6 on Saturday.

Tracking LEGACY ISLE's every move in pursuit of leaders PACK PLAYS and CALIFORNIA CROWN, WALL STREET TRADER turned for home four-wide and went in chase of his fellow American a furlong out, gaining steadily with each stride on the outside to collar the Mouttet Mile runner-up close home.

Champion and leading jockey Raddesh Roman tried his best to throttle topweight LEGACY ISLE down the backstretch, mindful of the speedy duo, PACK PLAYS and CALIFORNIA CROWN, exchanging glances on the lead of the six-furlong event.

Quickening to lead off the turn, LEGACY ISLE pulled clear of PACK PLAYS and CALIFORNIA CROWN, entering the final furlong with what appeared an unassailable lead before WALL STREET TRADER, running 22lb lighter than his target, started floating forward with lightweight claiming rider, Ramon Nepare.

Begging for the wire, which didn't come fast enough, LEGACY ISLE wilted under 126lb, giving way shades from the winning post, denied a hat-trick of wins by three-quarter length after beating WALL STREET TRADER out of sight, 11 and a quarter lengths, at five furlongs straight on June 21.

WALL STREET TRADER's stunning upset silenced the house but had a few Twilight 6 bettors baring poker faces, one of whom went on to spot MATUSO, who dramatically won the eighth at 16-1, closing a rare two-timer for claiming rider Romario Spencer, followed by another shocker, 13-1 springer FAMILY FEUD, both making all the running in their respective races.

The Twilight 6's massive single-winner payout dwarfed the more popular Reggae 6, which returned $161,824 following 3-5 favourite SIR JOHN's dismal last-place finish in the closing leg for $700,000 claimers, sauntering among the backmarkers from the off, a shadow of the horse, who beat $1.5m company a week ago.

Meanwhile, Spencer, a 'mature' claiming rider, given a bye to retain his bug by having not won a certain number of races after its expiration, set himself a date with the stewards on what should have been one of his better days in the saddle after landing the third with a come-from-behind win at odds of 3-1 with the grey MR SENATOR.

Breaking MATUSO like a scared hare at seven furlongs, Spencer pressed the accelerator leaving the half-mile to tear away from rivals, entering the straight a lonely leader.

Passing the furlong pole with a near seven-length advantage, Spencer stood tall inside the final half-furlong, wildly playing to the gallery, showboating with eyes in the stands, unaware of Roman falling from out the clouds aboard favourite OIL MACHINE.

Though he momentarily panicked when OIL MACHINE appeared in his peripheral vision, Spencer guardedly maintained his showboating to the wire, lasting home by a short head, reminiscent of Robert Halledeen winning the 2018 Diamond Mile aboard WILL IN CHARGE.

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