By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterA LUCKY punter cornered the $1.4 million Pick-9 at Caymanas Park on Wednesday as it starts anew tomorrow with a guaranteed minimum of $500,000.
The Pick-9 will be conducted on races two to 10. The Super-6, which also starts anew, embraces races five to 10 and this is where the focus of our attention lies.
The fifth, a 3-y-o and up claiming ($210,000 - $180,000) over 1100 metres, will be contested by 10 starters, including the luckless KING'S HIGHWAY who has passed the post first in his last two races, only to be disqualified in both.
On the last occasion, KING'S HIGHWAY led home YYESSBABY by half a length over 1200 metres, but was taken down and the race awarded to YYESSBABY with whom he had interfered in the last furlong. Both renew their rivalry tomorrow, but KING'S HIGHWAY will do so on 2.5kg better terms and this should tilt the balance in his favour.
The race is not necessarily confined to this pair as PHANTOM J has the proven ability to upstage them, especially from his convenient mark of 52.0kg and competent apprentice Dane Nelson aboard. Since finishing a close third to SOUTHERN DANCER and SIREN over the straight five course on September 24, PHANTOM J has changed stables, moving from Randolph Scott to Richie Todd. However, the four-year-old son of Royal Minister has pleased in his preparation and seems ready to fight out the finish.
OPEN RACE
One of the more open races on the card is the sixth to be contested by 14 starters over the straight five course. With no fewer than six of them having real claims, it promises to be keenly contested.
Leading lights are PERSONAL TOUCH, GO ON GO ON, TANGO DANCER, BUCKS ORCHID and DEBONAIR.
The Michael Silvera-trained DEBONAIR has been knocking at the door in recent months and based on his close third to POWER MACHINE over the course on October 4 and also to GONDOLIER on August 30, is back with a real chance of taking top honours, especially from his favourable high number draw.
GO ON GO ON chased home MISS E.D. over 1100 metres in a good time on October 29 and with a mere 49.0kg, is poised to go close. The same is true of TANGO DANCER who has shown a particular liking for the straight and is fit enough to fight.
Still, The one I like best is PERSONAL TOUCH, to be ridden by in-form jockey Shane Ellis for trainer George Moo-Young.
The five-year-old are will be having her first outing since decking her rider on May 16 but despite his, reports in good condition and having beaten better in the not too distant past, gets the nod over GO ON GO ON and DEBONAIR.
WATERS OF MERRIBAH, who was disqualified after passing the post first in a round five race on October 25, looks the one to beat when she returns for the seventh race over 1100 metres.
The four-year-old filly, who is owned by entertainer Coco Tea, has the speed to set off in front and with the scales in her favour, should stave off RED WOOD (who finished only a length third in that race after suffering interference from Waters of Merribah), GUNG TUNG WAH, SAMMY MY GIRL and recent winner RUN JAN JAN.
FLOSSIE MCNEIL MEMORIAL CUP
SUPA LEI, who was caught and beaten close to home by SQUARE GARDEN over 1300 metres on November 8, has been knocking at the door in recent weeks and indications are it will open in the eighth race for the Flossie McNeil Memorial Cup over c1200 metres. Prior to her last run, SUPA LEI failed by a length to catch LADY SHAKEERA over 1100 metres on October 4 and with in-form jockey Clive Lynch now slated, should win from the fleet-footed filly LOOK AT ME and XTRA ROYAL.
CAPTAIN BLIGH, having finished two lengths fourth (running on) to 'Horse of the Year' I'MSATISFIED in the November 8 Red Stripe Caribbean Sprint, should take a lot of beating going the additional furlong of the ninth race for the Gladiator Trophy over 1400 metres. His main rivals in the nine-strong field are YOUNG FOR ALL, who ran a blinder for third in the recent Red Stripe Superstakes and ECSTATIC, who romped the WITRA Distaff over 1800 metres the same day with leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths aboard.
The closing race over the straight five course (claiming $140,000) has attracted the maximum 16 starters and here it should come down to a three-cornered tussle involving ROBOCOP, NOWITSKI and CARDINAL LAW. By virtue of his half-a-length second to NORAN BATMAN over the course on July 16, a race in which NOWITSKI finished only a nose behind in third, ROBOCOP with Simpson now slated to be aboard will prove hard to beat.
