ADINA, running as the 6-5 favourite with apprentice Carlton Malcolm aboard, powers home ahead of MISS LOOKIE (Oneil Mullings) to win the ninth race over 1100 metres at Caymanas Park on Saturday. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

After six consecutive racedays, the mushrooming Pick-9 was cornered by one punter who bagged a whopping $4.5 million.

With none of the races at Caymanas Park resulted in an upset, it was surprising to learn that fortune smiled on only one punter.

The Pick-9 included four winning favourites in the 3-y-o debutante REX TIPOU at 8-5 in the fifth race, ADINA at 6-5 in the ninth, MUSICAL MAESTRO also at 6-5 in the 10th for the Hall of Fame Stakes Trophy and PURE MUD at similar odds in the closing race for the Ren Gonsalves Memorial Cup.

The longest-priced winner was super fit GURBAN at 3-1 in the eighth race, while four horses won at odds of 5-2 - PRINCE NATHANIEL in the third, FELICIDAD in the fourth, SHOWDOWN in the sixth and POORLITTLERICHBOY in the seventh. So how come only one winner?

The bottom line is that the Pick-9, even without the upsets, is never an easy bet to catch. I know of at least three persons whoended with eight winners on Saturday, one of them missing POORLITTLERICHBOY. But for the most part that one winner just keeps on being elusive.

POORLITTLERICHBOY, a son of the 1991 Derby and Superstakes winner POORLITTLERICHGIRL, completed a sparkling three-timer for the promising apprentice Andre Martin on a day when the apprentices again dominated in winning seven of the 11 races.

After several near misses, Martin, who at 18 is the youngest of the 15 apprentices who graduated from the Jockeys' School 10 months ago, finally chalked up the first three-timer of his career. His timing and all-round riding ability puts him up there with the best of the apprentices and the youngster is quite adept at expressing himself as well.

The first of his three winners, OUTSTANDING, looked awesome in winning by 14 lengths on her belated debut over 1100 metres and she definitely has a bright future.

Trained by 'Hall of Famer' Allan 'Billy' Williams for popular owner Roylton D'Cambre, OUTSTANDING was early in the lead from KING ISAAC and moved farther and farther away in the straight to win in the smart time of 1:07.2 even though eased in the closing stages.

After looking the part at exercise early in her two-year-old career, OUTSTANDING had a setback in training and never raced at two. Williams has exercised a lot of patience with this attractive filly to the extent that she missed both the Jamaica Licensed Bookmakers 1000 Guineas and the Oaks. But she will definitely be making up for lost time in the months ahead.

- O.C.