Cherokee’s Ironman claimed bragging rights for the second successive race day during Saturday night’s harness racing at the Bermuda Equestrian Centre.

Arnold Manders’s gelding, a firm favourite to win next month’s season-ending Champion of Champions, posted the night’s fastest time of 1:04/3 competing in the Free for All or 1:04/4 and faster division with driver Tyler Lopes at the helm.

Cherokee’s Ironman’s time was 1.3 seconds slower than the season’s fastest time of 1:03 flat which the Indiana-bred horse established the previous race day.

Manders’s horse holds all the records for a two-year-old on the quarter-mile, five-sixteenth and half-mile tracks, as well as the three-year-old record on the half-mile and five-sixteenth tracks in Indiana.

Colin Mello’s retired stallion, Big Red Machine, holds the track record of 1:01/4 achieved in 2011.

Roque Family’s stallion GV Crystal Ball, driven by Andrea Westerfield, the first female driver to win the coveted Champion of Champions, and Inwood Stable’s gelding Brona’s Mike, driven by Lucas Bridges, posted the night’s second fastest time of 1:04/4.

Posting the third fastest time of 1:05/1 were Cherokee’s Ironman and Simsfield Stable’s stallion Simsfield Hardtimes with Ryan Burrows at the helm.

Four drivers made multiple trips to the winner’s circle.

Lopes, Burrows and Kirista Rabain each had two victories on two different horses while Andy Stoneham, the Driving Horse and Pony Club executive, claimed two convincing victories with his stallion Custard the Dragon in the 1:06/1-1:07/1 division.

Inwood Stables’ gelding Colonel’s Maestro and Jason and Ashley Peniston’s mare JustWatchMe both came to within one-fifth of a second of getting a leg out of the 1:06/1-1:07/1 and 1:05-1:06 time bars with Bridges and Rabain in the bike.

Harness racing continues at the Vesey Street racetrack on Saturday night. Post time is 6pm.