Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer
The Pick-9 proved elusive at Caymanas Park on Saturday, thanks to a 22-1 upset by TRACKING DEVICE in the eighth race over 1400 metres.
The carryover to tomorrow's mid-week meet stands at $1 million, but despite that upset, the Super-6 was caught by three punters, each receiving $488,124.00.
Ridden by in-form apprentice Jason Simpson, who is popularly called 'Gary', TRACKING DEVICE won in a blanket finish from the fast-finishing LITTLERICHBOY (13-1) and the howling 2-5 favourite MR. BLAIR, who gave it away at the start on this, his debut.
The Noel Ennevor-trained MR. BLAIR under champion jockey Omar Walker was backed as if defeat was out of the question, especially when it was learnt that the 3-y-o chestnut colt was the trainer's Classic horse.
However, MR. BLAIR walked out of the starting gate and although mending briskly to go in chase of the leader MY THUNDER approaching the half-mile and eventually going by approaching the home turn, ran green in the straight and was headed off by TRACKING DEVICE in the last 100 metres, eventually losing second to LITTLERICHBOY within shades of the wire, beaten a neck by a head.
Marginal favourite
Walker and Ennevor made amends aboard the 2-1 marginal favourite ALLIEDFORCE in the day's open allowance feature for the Zaleucus Trophy over 1800 metres. Here again it was a tight finish and Walker had to summon all the skills at his disposal to bring home the 2006 Governor's Cup and St Leger winner in a driving finish from pesky JACK SPARROW.
Walker has now ridden ALLIEDFORCE in his last four races and the five-year-old son of Market Rally has been involved in close finishes on three of those. He lost the Governor General's Stakes by a head on October 15 last year, scrambled home by a neck from SIR KHAN over 1600 metres on January 19 and again made heavy weather of winning on Saturday.
He strikes me as a difficult horse to ride but Walker obviously knows how to manhandle him to get the desired result. Indeed, the jockey is fast developing a reputation as the hardest man to beat in a tight finish.
Having ridden seven winners in the past two racedays, including three on Saturday (his 25th birthday), Walker is gonna give 'em hell in his bid to retain the jockeys' title.
