Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

In-form trainer Robert Darby Sr. highlighted the proceedings at Caymanas Park yesterday, saddling three winners on the 10-race programme.

They include the 13-1 outsider ALL FIRED UP in the feature race (claming $460,000 - $400,000) for the J.W. 'Judge' Hardie Memorial Cup over 1600 metres.

In addition, the veteran trainer posted 3-1 chance SAID I SAID I to win the second race over 1100 metres for $170,000 claimers and the remarkable grey gelding NASATOL, a 5-2 favourite in race eight for open allowance horses.

In the latter race, Darby saddled both the winner NASATOL and the runner-up FREE FALL at 18-1. If that wasn't enough, the trainer provided further proof that it was his day when 12-1 outsider ALI SPENDER, for which he is the owner, won the third race over 1500 metres in decisive fashion under 4.0kg claiming apprentice Everton Bennett.

The five-year-old gelding was saddled by new trainer Alden Francis, a former assistant trainer to Darby.

ALL FIRED UP, who was a winner for Darby on a $380,000 claiming tag on the previous Saturday, stepped up to $420,000 in the feature and upstaged the two most fancied horses in the eight-strong field, the 3-5 favourite SIR KHAN and 6-5 chance HERECOMES-FUDGIE.

Led under pressure

Outpaced for most of the way as HERECOMESFUDGIE led under pressure from the outsider BADJEROS ROSE and SIR KHAN, ALL FIRED up was produced by jockey Larris Allen in mid-stretch. He went by SIR KHAN early in the last furlong, but had to be driven out in the closing stages to holdhis renewed challenge by a neck.

The winner, a five-year-old mare by Outrigger out of Bubblegum Hottie, is owned by O'Shaun Connection and bred by Jose Pinchin.

Darby had this to say about yesterday's windfall: "Despite the inclement weather, I envisaged a good day. I thought Said I Said I was my surest winner but when the going changed to muddy, I had my doubts. But this horse is so fit just now that it didn't make any difference.

"Nasatol was another hard to lose horse in my estimation and ran true to form in what appeared to be a very competitive race on paper. All Fired Up is on a different nutrition programme since I claimed her for $400,000 on July 27 and you can see the result", explained the former claiming king.

On a day when Jockey Guild president Ian Spence made a futile appeal to the stewards after the first race to call off the meet due to safety concerns arising from the waterlogged state of the course due to heavy rain, the card produced a number of upsets.

The biggest was the Linton Calder-trained ATTITUDE at odds of 56-1 in the closing race over 1700. The five-year-old mare was a chance ride for jockey Andron Findley, his first winner in over a year.