Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

RURE JUSTICE (Paul Francis) romps home by 6 1/2 lenghts in th ninth race over 1200 metres at Caymanas Park last Saturday. He won at odds of 4-1. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

AS MANY as three trophies are at stake on today's eight race programme at Caymanas Park, including the day's principal feature for the Gladiator Trophy.

This will be contested by nine open-allowance horses over 1400 metres. Secondary features are the restricted allowance II for the Glen T. Williamson Cup over 2000 metres in which 10 have been declared and Race No. 5 in the second CTL Claiming Series to be contested by eight starters over the straight five course.

While hat-trick seeker SIMPLE SWEET ought to be followed ahead of HEY TRAIN in the Williamson Cup and down-in-class TESSANNE is preferred to YOSHI and DIGI N' JIGGY in the CTL Series, the Gladiator Trophy should prove an intriguing contest among the nine horses declared.

Included in the line-up are the improving hat-trick seeker ENGLISH STORM, fresh from a huge upset in the recent CTL Imported Mile on Superday; LIKKLE BIT, who just failed to catch him in that race, as well as the talented three-year-old filly IT IS I, recent course winner SLOGAN and, of course, the down-in-class RAMPAGE who won the Eros Trophy grade-one race over the distance back in February.

Upset wins

The Carl Anderson-owned and trained ENGLISH STORM has been putting his rookie trainer on the map in recent months with back-to-back upset wins in the Royal Dad Trophy and valuable CTL Imported Mile.

True, he has gone up appreciably in the scales as a result of his last win and could be hard pressed to confirm his superiority over Wayne DaCosta's American 3-y-o colt LIKKLE BIT on 6.5kg worse terms. But ENGLISH STORM strikes me as a horse with tremendous scope and it would hardly surprise to see him going close.

Having said all that, the one best equipped to pull it off must be IT IS I, who led for a long way in the November 8 CTL Superstakes to finish 4 1/2 fourth to stable companion AD INFINITUM.

The three-year-old daughter of Footloose II - Private Number had a good classic season, finishing a close second to subsequent Triple Crown winner ALSAFRA in the 1000 Guineas in April and also chased her home in the Oaks. She showed her mettle by winning the Lotto Classic (Governor's Cup) in the absence of ALSAFRA and although bypassing the Digicel Derby, ran well behind GOOD CITIZEN over a mile on October 11 before that creditable Superstakes run on last.

Well-prepared

IT IS I reports well-prepared to vie for this trophy and although having to carry 3kg overweight for the services of in-form Dane Nelson, will not go down easily from the convenient mark of 52kg.She can either lead or come from behind if the situation demands and gets a glorious opportunity to win today.

I also like the well-forward 2-y-o debutante UNBRIDLED RUNNER in the first race, SPACEMAN to stave off STAR OF THE SEA in the third and MAHARANI ahead of SONOR and LIGHTNING MCQUEEN in the eighth and final race.