Orville Clarke, Freelance Reporter
CHOSEN ONE (left), one of two winners for champion jockey Omar Walker, canters away from the field to win the eighth race (claiming $460,000-$410,000) over the straight five course at Caymanas Park on Saturday. CHOSEN ONE, the 8-5 favourite, was winning his third consecutive race. Running along the rails is UNCLE D & ME, who finished fifth in the 10-horse field. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
For the third consecutive raceday, the Pick-9 had to be takers at Caymanas Park on Saturday and the carryover going into tomorrow's mid-week meet stands at $1.97 million.
Pick-9 players for the most part started on the wrong foot when the 11-1 outsider HARMONICS scored an unlikely victory over a mile in the third race.
Odds-on favourite CAPTAIN BONE, the mount of champion jockey Omar Walker, was widely used as a banker in this race, but turned in a lacklustre effort to finish fourth by six lengths. But for HARMONICS, who was well ridden by the improving apprentice Delroy Beharie, the Pick-9 would have been caught. Among the remaining races were several popular winners.
These included 8-5 favourite CHOSEN ONE in the eighth race, even-money favourite ARIZONA SUNSHINE in the 10th, as well as MEDIC ON BOARD at 2-1 in the sixth and of course, ALSAFRA at 5-2 in the final Pick-9 race, the 69th running of the Bigga Jamaica Oaks.
ALSAFRA provided two-time champion jockey Brian Harding with the third of four winners on the card. But the jockey has never ridden an easier classic winner than ALSAFRA, not even RANSOM MAN in the 2006 Digicel Derby.
In winning the mile and quarter classic by 8-3/4 lengths in a smart time of 2:07.1, ALSAFRA stamped herself as an exceptional filly. All credit is due to her unheralded, but humble trainer Fitznahum Williams, who has never had it this good in winning both the Jamaica Licensed Bookmakers 1000 Guineas and Oaks with ALSAFRA.
The classy filly by Legal Process out of the 2007 champion broodmare Tee Gee Vee beat IT IS I by half a length in the 1000 Guineas, yet came back three weeks later to slam her by almost nine lengths in the Oaks. This is definitely saying something: IT IS I was born the wrong year.
From all indications, ALSAFRA will prove competitive against the top colts ROYAL IMAGE and COMMANDER ZERO.
