Ainsley Walters, Freelance Writer

THE REAL STREAM (right) winning race number two in the Supreme Ventures two-year-old series. The final event in the series, the Supreme Ventures Jamaica 2-y-o Stakes, will be run today with THE REAL STREAM a red-hot favourite. - File

ALTHOUGH TODAY'S Boxing Day feature races at Caymanas Park should be romped by THE REAL STREAM and DISTINCTLY IRISH, punters will be more than happy for the pair of bankers on the 13-race card, which has in excess of $3.3 million on offer in Super-6 and Pick-9 jackpots.

Conditioned by champion trainer Wayne DaCosta and unbeaten in three starts, THE REAL STREAM has proven himself light years better than the five other runners he will face in the one-mile Supreme Ventures Limited Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes worth $3.25 million.

THE REAL STREAM has already taken out stablemate MR SKILL and Noel Ennevor's HOMBRE, two of the better two-year-olds so far, who have both bypassed today's event from which DaCosta's runner is set to take home a $1-million bonus for sweeping the Supreme Ventures Limited Two-Year-Old Series.

While romping the Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy on November 10, THE REAL STREAM hardly raised a gallop and still looked a bit green in the stretch run but humiliating HOMBRE, who was touted as the next best thing going a distance of ground in the two-year-old ranks.

REGAL SELECTION, JOSIE WALES, IT IS I and THE REAL STREAM's stablemate, HEART OF GOLD, should have a real scrap for second-place with Percy Hussey-trained JOSIE WALES getting the nod.

Heart of gold returns

HEART OF GOLD beat maidens at a mile on December 8 but did so at the last hop, grabbing MISTER OFFICER at the wire. One of two fillies in the line-up, HEART OF GOLD returns treated with Lasix and could put in an improved effort.

JOSIE WALES appears more enticing to fill the runner-up spot behind THE REAL STREAM as HEART OF GOLD's winning time of 1:41.3, carrying only 51 kilos, was not at all impressive.

Trained with a purpose since finishing fourth down the track in the Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy behind THE REAL STREAM, HOMBRE and THE QUEEN, JOSIE WALES has a grand chance of filling the runners-up spot.

JOSIE WALES' lone victory from three starts was at 1400 metres, beating THE REAL STREAM's stablemate, THE GUARDIAN, when jockey Charles Hussey got the better of apprentice Omar Walker, who lost his whip inside the final furlong.

Similar to HEART OF GOLD, Morris Powell's REGAL SELECTION and Anthony Nunes' IT IS I both got off the mark last time out, beating weak maiden fields and should find JOSIE WALES too tough to beat for second-place.

With two Super-6 games on the programme, each offering minimum payouts of $500,000, plus a Pick-9 carryover of $2.3 million, starting at the fifth event, THE REAL STREAM is a sound banker along with DISTINCTLY IRISH, who has little to beat in the 12-furlong Harry Jackson Memorial, which has only five runners.

Favourite

With almost the entire Super-stakes and Gold Cup cast missing in action, chased away by the punishing distance of today's race after gruelling Grade One as-signments for the past two months, Philip Feanny-trained DISTINCTLY IRISH should easily beat NATURAL DESIRE despite topweight of 60.5 kilos.

Feanny's runner rebounded from his sixth-place finish in the November 10 MegaFone Super-stakes with a thrilling half-length victory in the CTL Gold Cup on December 8.

On both occasions, DISTINCTLY IRISH had NATURAL DESIRE behind, sitting level at in the Superstakes and even further back when allowing his rival 25 lb in the Gold Cup. Victory in the poorly supported Harry Jackson Memorial Cup for DISTINCTLY IRISH should hand Feanny's runner the Horse-of-the-Year crown.