THERE was a little bit of success for the Bathurst entries at a big card of racing at Penrith on Thursday night, but in the feature event Steve Turnbull had to settle for third after a boilover.

Racing in the $30,000 Group 3 Carnival of Cups (2125 metres), grey veteran Im Blue Double Dee ($17.40) did well just to figure in the finish after being blocked for a run for most of the race.

After sitting mid-field initially and being taken forward 1200m from home, $1.90 favourite Monifieth looked to have the race at his mercy leading into the home straight the final time.

The John McCarthy-trained star broke stride though and sent the field into chaos, paving the way for Shane Tritton’s Fearless Leader ($14.20) to win handsomely from Itsnewstome ($42.80).

Amanda Turnbull managed to just hold on for third on Im Blue Double Dee, who sat last for the majority of the race and got blocked for a run a couple of times when he looked set to push closer to the front.

The other Bathurst runner in the race, Ashlee Siejka’s Atom Of Courage ($52.10) finished sixth and didn’t get much of a chance to figure in the finish after covering plenty of extra ground early on.

The highlight of the program from the local contingent came in the final event of the night as Bernie Hewitt drove consistent gelding Lettuceparty to just the sixth victory in his 46-start career.

Never far from the front of the field during his racing life, having finished in the placings 25 times during those 46 races, he was given a relatively short quote at $3.20.

According to the betting, it was a race in three between Lettuceparty, Snoop Stride ($3.50) and Heart Ofa Warrior ($2.50) in the $7,500 De Bortoli Wines Pace (1720m).

The favourite disappointed, breaking at one point and will now have to trial after being stood down temporarily after finishing a distant eighth.

The other two popular picks, though, had no such troubles and after Lettuceparty went straight to the front, Snoop Stride didn’t take long to work forward and sit off his shoulder.

They staged a sensational battle over the back half of the race and even into the last couple of metres could barely be separated, before Hewitt’s eight-year-old held on to win by a head.

Hewitt also managed a second earlier in the program when Read About Lexy ($8.20) won what was effectively a race for second, as raging favourite Whitershadeofpale ($1.20) blitzed the field in the Three Year Old Fillies Pace (2125m).