By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterMID-WEEK RACING continues at Caymanas Park today with a nine-race programme featuring the Oswald "Ossie" Steele Memorial Cup (claiming $330,000 - $290,000) over 1200 metres.
A small but competitive field of six is slated for the race and it promises to be close. Only WAR EDGE, in my view, can be safely overlooked, not because he is void of ability, but I cannot see him figuring seriously going this short.
It should develop into a real contest among the others, namely, TSUNAMI, VISIONARY, RESTLESS PEGASUS, STRAIGHT SIX and, not least, PREMIER SOLUTION.
The much improved RESTLESS PEGASUS has the best form to recommend, having won two of his past four races and finishing second in the others.
The four-year-old gelding from the stables of in-form trainer Richie Todd lost few marks in defeat when chasing home DR. R.S.F. in a fast-run 1300-metre race on January 25 and before that was beaten only a length by ROY'STOY over 1100 metres on January 4.
RESTLESS PEGASUS had previously won back-to-back races over 1200 metres and the straight five course in December and on the strength of those performances is sure to fight out the finish from the convenient mark of 50kg, having shown good speed in all of his races.
The sparingly raced TSUNAMI has also shown good ability, despite having raced only five times since December 2001.
After failing to click behind AWESOME MINISTER over the straight in overnight allowance company on January 18, TSUNAMI must have a real chance on the strength of his three lengths third to SATISFIER over 1300 metres on January 1, a race in which he chased at close range in fast splits.
While having every respect for TSUNAMI and especially RESTLESS PEGASUS, the one I think best equipped to win is the four-year-old filly PREMIER SOLUTION to be ridden by in-form Clive Lynch for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta.
After winning over 1100 metres on December 28, the daughter of Corsicana - Gimme A Light finished a good third to SATISFIER over 1400 metres on January 11 when chasing the winner to the last furlong in fast slips. And last time out, she could only manage ninth to PROCEEDACCORDINGLY in the IGL Trophy over 1700 metres.
PREMIER SOLUTION reverts to the ideal trip on this occasion and, now dropped to high claiming, she should prove equal to the task from the handy mark of 53kg.
Other firm fancies on the card are GOOD CONDUCT (better for the recent pipe opener) to catch REAL RISK at a mile in the first race for three-year-olds, ASYNJUR to upstage INCORPORATE and UNLEADED in the fourth also for 3-y-os, PLAYMATE to make all at the expense of PERSONAL TOUCH and MY DEAR TUDOR in the sixth, FIRST TRICK over SIR CAT in the knotty seventh race and INDIAN RAJA over BONNIE'S FLAG in the closing $100,000 claiming race.
