With the fancied horses holding their own, for the most part, at Caymanas Park on Saturday, it was surprising to learn that only three players shared the $2.1 million Pick-9, each receiving $711,805.50.

This was attributed to a 9-1 upset by RIGMAROLE in the fifth race over the round five course for overnight allowance horses, in which the 4-5 favourite SKYWAY EXPRESS could only manage third.

The vast majority of Pick-9 players carried the Omar Walker-ridden SKYWAY EXPRESS along with his stable-companion NATURALLY ROYAL, who finished a close second, and highly fancied TOOT DI HOOT in a small field of six. Hence, RIGMAROLE was a genuine upset.

Ridden by non-claiming apprentice Carlton Malcolm for owner Keith Duncan and trainer Gary Subratie, RIGMAROLE got the inside run and the lead from GOLD STAR entering the straight and holding on grimly by a head from the fast-finishing stable-companions NATURALLY ROYAL and SKYWAY EXPRESS, who surprisingly, failed to go the early pace but came flying at the finish to be beaten less than a length.

Subratie was happy with the win, pointing out that RIGMAROLE, or 'Reindeer', as he is affectionately called by the trainer, ran an encouraging race over the straight behind CRUCIAL POINT in the Wayne DaCosta Trophy on February 20 when finishing 3 1/4 lengths fourth.

'Equal to the task'

"He always runs better on the round five course and given the favourable swing in the weights with Skyway Express, who was second in the same race, I thought he would be equal to the task," said Subratie.

Bred by Argyll Farms, RIGMAROLE, a six-year-old bay gelding by Outrigger out of Instead Of Roses, has now won two of his last three races in the space of four weeks and notched up three wins since be was claimed for $420,000 by Subratie in July of last year. In all, he has recorded eight wins lifetime from 42 starts with total stakes of $2.4 million.

After being upstaged by Shane Ellis the two previous racedays, champion jockey Omar Walker turned the tables, somewhat with four winners on the card, but Shane replied with three to tick off 10 in the past three race days.

Ellis, who has bypassed Canada this year to ride full time in Jamaica, has looked extremely confident in churning out the winners and with the powerful stables of Anthony 'Baba' Nunes at his disposal, it is shaping up to be a big year for him.

Incidentally, his three winners, EVANDER, CENTANNI and LADY INDIRA, were all conditioned by Nunes who was posting his third consecutive triple.

- Orville Clarke