By Orville Clarke, Gleaner WriterTHE CURTAIN comes down on Friday racing at Caymanas Park today with a moderately supported nine-race programme featuring the Alty McKenzie Memorial Cup (claiming $120,000 - $105,000) over 1600 metres.
Five of the remaining seven scheduled Friday meets in 2003 have been dropped from the programme as of July 1. The two remaining Friday meets will be run as scheduled, as these fall on public holidays - August 1 (Emancipation Day) and December 26 (Boxing Day).
A CTL source said the decision to drop Friday racing was based on the fact that "they had become unprofitable in the scheme of things and as a consequence we decided to revert to a full schedule of Wednesdays and Saturdays".
Nine starters have been declared for the Alty McKenzie Memorial, including top contenders GENERAL VERRAZANO, FOREST FRESH, NUCLEAR POWER and to a lesser extent MR. MICAWBER.
GENERAL VERRAZANO, to be ridden by champion jockey Trevor Simpson for trainer Barrington Rambally, will more than likely start favourite based on his last running.
The six-year-old gelding failed by a nose to stave off TROPICAL STAR over 1500 metres on May 23 (Labour Day), a race in which he had SEEMELATER (4th) and FLAMENCO RED (7th) well beaten.
On that occasion, GENERAL VERRAZANO was ridden by the apprentice Phillip Clunis who gives way to three-time champion "Slicer" Simpson today. That's a plus in the gelding's favour but also going for him is the fact that he carries only 53.0kg today, making him a good thing in my book.
GENERAL VERRAZANO, who was beaten in the satisfactory time of 1:35.2 on last, has good pace. And while I expect the bold front runner FOREST FRESH to prove dangerous on the lead in his bid for a hat-trick, I believe he will be collared up the lane by GENERAL VERRAZANO.
Other firm fancies - MEDIATOR to make all in the 1st, RESTLESS PEGASUS in the 2nd, DON FABULOSA in the 5th, SLEW THEM DAVID in the 6th and HE AIN'T HEAVY over MY DEAR TUDOR in the 9th.
