Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
REJECT, running as the 3-2 favourite with Larse Allen aboad, cruises home in the 11th and final race for the Harry Rigg Memorial Cup (claiming $350,000-$320,000) over 1400 metres at Caymanas Park on Saturday. REJECT was the second winner on the card for Desmond Shand. - RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE NATIVE bred two-year-olds take the spotlight at Caymanas Park today in the annual renewal of the Dewhurst Stakes over 1300 metres to be contested by six youngsters.
Despite the small field, it should be an interesting contest involving SUPER NATURAL, LAW LORD and CHRISTMAS GIFT, all winners last time, along with the Gary Subratie-trained NO GUTS NO GLORY who caught the eye when staying on for third to the unbeaten MINISTER ON FIRE over 1100 metres on August 31.
This marks the first occasion that the two-year-olds will be venturing as far as 1300 metres, but none of the above-mentioned horses should have a problem with the extended trip.
While I expect NO GUTS NO GLORY and CHRISTMAS GIFT to prove competitive, it will more than likely come down to a straight fight between the Percy Hussey-trained SUPER NATURAL with four-time champion Charles Hussey aboard and LAW LORD, to be ridden by champion jockey Trevor Simpson for champion trainer Philip Feanny.
Of the two, SUPER NATURAL was the more impressive in victory on his August 20 debut over 1100 metres. Installed a 1-9 favourite, the chestnut colt by Alisios out of Unatural made all, moving away in the straight to win by 8 3/4 lengths from DIAL DIRECT, returning splits of 23.2, 47.1 and a final time of 1:-07.4 despite having a lot in hand at the finish.
RAZOR SHARP
Since then, SUPER NATURAL has looked razor sharp at exercise and given his fine speed, should take an awful lot of catching in this small field. He looked well at exercise last Friday morning when galloping 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:09.0, the last five in 1:02.1.
LAW LORD, on the other hand, won easily over the round five course on August 27 in the fairly good time of 1:00.4, ahead of DANCING SAM. Although facing much stiffer opposition, the bay gelding by Law Of The Sea out of Tooting should welcome the longer distance and will only go down fighting.
The 11-race programme also features race No. 3 in the CTL Claiming Series ($180,000 and less) over the straight five course to be contested by 10 starters including leading lights BUTCHER MAN, THE SEA PRINCESS, APACHE BRAVE. MAMA'S BOY and MOTHER OF PEARL.
Hat-trick seeker BUTCHER MAN will have his fair share of supporters despite top weight of 57kg, but at the weights a better proposition over his trip is MAMA'S BOY who has trained well in preparation for this race.
The five-year-old gelding from the stables of Neive Graham has shown a particular liking for the course and was an easy winner over same in December of last year.
When last venturing over the course on June 11, MAMA'S BOY chased home out-of-class PHYSICS BOOK in a race where he held off the third horse TUSCAN SUN by a neck. A reproduction of that performance should see him winning from THE SEA PRINCESS, BUTCHER MAN and APACHE BRAVE.
Other firm fancies on the card are SCOTCHONTHEROCKS in the second race, LADY JUSTICE in the fifth, ASTRO CRUNCH in the sixth and PATH OF BLISS in the ninth.
