warmed by several worthy performances at the annual Boxing Day Races at Vesey Street yesterday.

Speed, grace and style mixed in with dollops of disappointment and near disaster served to inspire competitors and spectators alike on a day were man and beast were linked as one in order to achieve a specific goal...victory.

One of those succeeding in that category was veteran driver Eddie Roque, who emerged with a cache of goods, including the Moyer Feed Trophy and cash after winning the $2,150 four-year-old Stakes race, driving co-track record holder Shamrock Tuxedo.

It was doubly sweet for Roque, as he had cut short his Canadian Christmas vacation to fly home for the race.

"I think it was well worth it,'' said Roque, who was also a speed demon on the water during his boat racing days. "Basically it went as planned. I got a little luck with the draw and drew a good position.

"Tuxedo's an exceptional horse, but it wasn't as easy as it looked.'' Modest words from a man whose horse had just blown away a stellar field by nearly four seconds over a half-mile track in the final.

Tuxedo led from start to finish and was timed in one minute, 9.2 seconds, a little more than a second off the track record she shares with Abbies Casenova.

Ponder Babe, with Daniel Greenslade at the controls, notched second place in 1:13.2, while Tom Matthews and his Catch A Fire were awarded third after the other participant, Pleasant Surprise (Worrell Bean), was disqualified.

Also smiling at the end of the day was Paschall Duckett, $500 richer after taking first place honours among the two-year-olds.

Like Roque, Duckett also easily fended off any challenges, as his Abbe seized the mantle of champion.

"I was kind of shaky at the beginning, but I settled down and did what I had to do, and she (Abbe) did what she had to,'' said Duckett. "The position I was in at the start was a bit tight, but she went off well and stayed there.'' There were only two ponies contesting the three-year-old Stakes and had Charles Whited and Michael DeCosta combining in the two heats to give Inwood Stables another champion as Abby Dabby Doo got past Diamondway, driven by North Carolina's Glenn Spivey.

Hoe Down Don was named Best Pony of the Day thanks to two scintillating come-from-behind triumphs over Little Dinger in the 1:11-1:13.8 time bar.

Fastest Aged Horse was Michael DeCosta's Nateway, a double winner in the Free For All, besting Grand Marshall (John Flood) and Abbies Casenova (Francis DeSilva).

Prizes also went to those having the best times in each bar.