Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

VERITY (left), running at odds of 3-1 with former champion jockey Shane Ellis outfinishes the front-running 45-1 outsider RICKAYBA, with apprentice Oral Bennett riding, to win the fifth race over 1500 metres at Caymanas Park on Saturday. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

The Pick-9 continues to prove elusive at Caymanas Park and the carryover to this Saturday stands at a whopping $10.65 million.

With the bet promising a payout in excess of $11 million on Saturday, Pick-9 frenzy gripped Caymanas Park and its 60-odd off-track betting parlours islandwide after the first race at noon, to the extent that sales on the popular exotic bet topped $6 million.

Still, the Pick-9 failed to reach its anticipated payout/carryover target of $11 million.

A Caymanas Track Limited's (CTL) spokesman attributed this to many prospective Pick-9 players being locked out at the betting windows as they waited until the last minute to place their bets.

"We have received reports that this was the case not only at Caymanas Park, but at off-track outlets islandwide.

"The Pick-9 is growing to unprecedented levels and is attracting heavy patronage. With this in mind there is a need for Pick-9 punters to purchase their bets from early so as not to cause a late run at the betting windows," he explained.

However, most punters say they prefer to wait until the third race to purchase their Pick-9 bets as at times late non-starters are not known until after the second race.

According to Anthony Brown, who frequents Caymanas Park on racedays, it is best to wait if you hope to pick up some late information on the horses.

"I missed Keeler in the first Pick-9 race because of the anticipated crowds at the betting windows. On my way to Caymanas Park I stopped at an off-track in Half-Way Tree and spent $2,600 on the Pick-9. However, by the time I reached the track I got it from the horse's mouth (hot tip) that Keeler was a little soup. "The horse was backed down from 34-1 last time to 4-1 and while I was fortunate to win a few thousand dollars on win tickets and the exacta, my Pick-9 failed to survive the first race. Happily, nobody was good enough to win so I can have another crack at it next Saturday and this time I alone am gonna win it," he predicted. KEELER was the first of three winners for star apprentice Javour Simpson, who duly widened his lead in the jockeys' standings with six winners in this the early stage of the season.

Simpson, who also became the leading apprentice with 27 winners, moving ahead of Carlton Malcolm, won aboard the highly fancied pair of MAGIC MOMENT and UNCLE D & ME as well.

On a day when the apprentice riders won seven of the 11 races, winning favourites were UNCLE D & ME at 2-1, PRINCE NATHANIEL at 6-5 and NASATOL at evens in the day's feature. MISS CODY BANKS at 9-1 provided the day's upset in the ninth race with apprentice Harriston Lewis aboard.