Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
Ellis ... rode three winners.
IT WAS an afternoon stroll for the 2000 Guineas hero ROYAL IMAGE in his open allowance prep for the June 14 Digicel Jamaica Derby at Caymanas Park yesterday.
Electing to bypass next Saturday's Lotto Classic for the Governor's Cup over 2000 metres owing to the ridiculous conditions of weight allotment, ROYAL IMAGE, under customary pilot Shane Ellis, made every yard of the running in the $550,000 circular nine race and not only pleased the jockey, but the trainer as well.
Strong favourite
In scoring by 3 1/4 lengths from 19-1 outsider GRACE MARIE, ROYAL IMAGE, running as the 1-4 favourite in a field of six, did enough to remain a strong ante-post favourite for the Derby.
Ellis said the margin of victory could have easily been doubled but the objective was just to give him an easy race.
"I put him on the bridle from early and it was smooth sailing throughout. Easy, easy, easy" was how the 2000 champion jockey described his trip.
Trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes, who conditions ROYAL IMAGE for prominent Barbadian owner Elias Haloute, said the plan was not to over-extend him.
"The Derby will be over 12 furlongs, so we are trying to teach him to relax and I was pleased with the performance," said the second-generation trainer who is making a strong bid to win his first championship, and in ROYAL IMAGE has the firepower to do so.
A three-year-old bay colt by Image Maker out of the 1993 Harry Jackson Memorial Cup winner, Royal Grind, ROYAL IMAGE, who covered the distance in the decent time of 1:57.1, has won his four races this season and also ticked off his fifth win from seven career starts with total stakes of $3.1 million.
Having failed to ride a winner on the previous Saturday, Ellis, who has since fired top jockeys' agent Donovan Wilson, rebounded with three winners on the nine-race programme.
The others were I'M MAGIC at 10-1 for 14-time champion trainer Philip Feanny in the fifth race over 1100 metres for native bred three-year-olds, and the Barry Dawes-trained RULE BY SECRECY at 7-2 in the fourth race over 1600 metres for maiden four-year-olds and up.
Ellis thus pushed his season tally to 43 to hold down third in the standings behind reigning cham-pion Omar Walker (52) and Dane Nelson (45), who rode back-to-back winners in INTRO-SPECTION and MUSTANG, both at 5-1.
Driving finish
Walker, who rode for the first day as a non-claiming apprentice, notched only one win aboard the Wayne DaCosta-trained SECRET HIDEAWAY (3-1) who made all in the closing 1300-metre race for the Henry George Harrison Sr Memorial Cup.
The four-year-old gelding won in a driving finish from fellow 3-1 chance MR BUTCHER, who chased him relentlessly to the wire.
