Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

CHAMPION JOCKEY Omar Walker rode four winners at Caymanas Park yesterday to be on the verge of notching his 200th career win since he started riding just over two years ago.

The 25-year-old apprentice, who won the jockeys' championship in his first full season last year and is on course to retain the title, opened the programme aboard smart two-year-old debutant HURRICANE JUSTICE (2-5 favourite) for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta. He followed up in the next race aboard 3-5 favourite MARKET TRAIN for trainer Harry Parsard, as well as 8-5 favourite LIKKLE BIT for DaCosta in the seventh and 6-5 favourite LA'S DANCER for trainer Rowan Mathie in the eighth.

Walker missed out on a glorious chance to achieve a five-timer when the DaCosta-trained three-year-old filly ROYAL DREAMER, a howling favourite at 1-4, was beaten into fourth place in the sixth race won by the 14-1 outsider THUNDER CLAP, with apprentice Lenroy Collins aboard.

Season's tally at 95

Walker thus missed the opportunity to mark his 200th career win yesterday, ending the day on 199.

His four-timer, however, pushed his season's tally to 95 - 23 clear of closest rival Dane Nelson, who rode three winners to move to 72.

Among his winners was the 2-1 shot AD INFNITUM for trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes in the circular nine feature for the Nigel B. Nunes Memorial Trophy confined to open allowance horses.

Owned by Elias Haloute and bred by the Orange Valley Estates in Trelawny, AD INFINITUM provided a fitting win for Nunes, a son of the man in whose memory the race was run.

The late Nigel B. Nunes was a top-flight trainer in the '70s, emerging champion trainer in 1976 when he conditioned the outstanding native-bred filly HOT LINE, 'Horse of the Year' in 1976. Nunes also saddled two Derby winners, BALLADIER in 1972 - the first year he took up training, and LUCKY OLE SON in 1979. In only 10 years as a trainer, he saddled 540 winners, a remarkable achievement.

Nigel Nunes died on December 21, 1982 at age 51. He is among 17 trainers inducted into the 'Hall of Fame' of Thoroughbred Racing since its inception in 1980. Prominently placed in third as TOBAGO (10-1) led from DR SOCRATES, AD INFINITUM assumed the lead approaching the final bend and kept on strongly to hold the marginal 2-1 favourite ACCOMPONG at bay by three lengths in a field of seven.

It was the second consecutive year that Nunes was saddling the winner of this race, having done so with 6-1 chance IL CAIMANO last year, and also with PITTACUS in 2005.

The Nunes family was out in full force for the presentation, the trophy presented to Hillis Nunes, widow of Nigel Nunes and mother of the winning trainer.

" I always look forward to this race and, for sentimental reasons, am happy to have saddled the winner once again," said 'Baba' Nunes.

"I owe everything in racing to my late father and winning the race in his honour is a way of paying tribute to him," he said.