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By Mark Brassel

Just 40 minutes after the heartbreak of losing the Harrolds Australian Derby by a nose, Tye Angland went one better and in the process hit the front in the prestigious Nathan Berry Medal on Day 1 of The Championships at Royal Randwick.

Angland powered down the outside on Trapeze Artist to swamp favourite Redzel (Kerrin McEvoy) over the final 80m. The three points pushed Angland to the top of the Nathan Berry Medal pointscore.

Tye Angland goes for home on Trapeze Artist in the Darley TJ Smith Stakes at Royal Randwick

Following Happy Clapper's (Blake Shinn) popular victory in the $3 million The Star Doncaster Mile, Angland holds the lead and goes into next Saturday's Day 2 of The Championships with a slender lead over McEvoy.

McEvoy sits in second spot after being runner-up aboard Redezl and Don't Give a Damn giving him four points.

Mark Zahra burst into contention when he scored a heart-stopping nose win aboard Levendi in the $2 million Group 1 Harrolds Australian Derby (2400m).

Zahra snatched the three points from Tye Angland (Ace High) after an epic battle down the stretch.

A race earlier Damian Lane locked in three points when roughie El Dorado Dreaming ($81) zoomed down the outside to knock out the favourite Oohood (Zac Purton, $3.10) in the Inglis Sires' (1400m).

And in race 4, joint leader Ben Looker was superb in guiding the well-fancied Victorem ($6 into $4.60) home in the $500,000 Newhaven Park Country Championships Final (1400m).

The 27-year-old rated it his biggest career win with the Port Macquarie galloper cruising home two lengths in advance of Don't Give a Damn (Kerrin McEvoy, $3.80 favourite) and O' So Hazy (Brooke Sweeney, $41).

The Nathan Berry Medal is awarded to the most successful jockey over the 12 races of The Championships and pays tribute to the former top jockey who passed away in early April 2014.

The Nathan Berry Medal is unique as it features his initials ‘NJB’ in the same font Nathan carried on his racing jodhpurs, and is adorned by a light blue & dark blue ribbon – mirroring the colours he carried on Unencumbered.

2018 NATHAN BERRY MEDAL (after Day 1)

Honour Roll
2017 - HUGH BOWMAN
2016 - HUGH BOWMAN
2015 - HUGH BOWMAN
2014 - TOMMY BERRY/JAMES McDONALD (tied)

TAB Market (pre-Day 2)
$1.70 Kerrin McEVOY, $2.80 Hugh BOWMAN, $7 Mark ZAHRA, $15 Blake SHINN, $21 Brenton AVDULLA, Damian LANE, $35 Michael WALKER, $71 Craig WILLIAMS