Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterTHE mushrooming Pick-9 survived yet another raceday at Caymanas Park yesterday, the carryover to today's nine-race programme being a whopping $5.5 million.
Pick-9 fever gripped Caymanas and its 70-odd Betting Parlours from some 30 minutes before the 1:00 p.m. post time with big and small bettors trying for an anticipated $5 million payout. In the end the popular bet eluded punters for the 11th consecutive race day, as two punters with eight of nine pocketed $148,633.50 each.
The last Pick-9 to be cornered was on Saturday, January 4 when 100 punters shared $500,000.
Meanwhile, highly fancied PROMINENT (9-5) made all the running to win the Racing Pools Trophy Restricted Allowance feature (non winners of three) over 1300 metres, for four-year-olds and up.
Ridden by former champion jockey Wesley Henry for owner trainer Michael Beecham, PROMINENT turned for home some two lengths clear of PHANTOM J who chased him in the backstretch, then skittered away up the lane to win by all of six lengths from 6-5 favourite HAPHAZARD (outpaced) who closed late on the rails to pip ROYAL EXPEDITION (9-2) for second in a field of 13.
Henry, who also won the second race aboard 1-2 favourite PAY PER VIEW, was one of three jockeys to ride two winners on the card. The others were Brian Harding who had back-to-back winners in 2-1 shot BIG BELLY SAM and GUARDIAN ANGEL at 9-2, and Andrew Thomas who had runaway wins aboard PLAYMATE (4-1) and 2-1 favourite UNWANTED in the closing mile and quarter race.
Today's nine-race programme features the 3-y-o and up Open Allowance for the Fontainbleu Trophy over 1500 metres.
Although having attracted six starters, only RED GENERAL can be overlooked. It should be a humdinger of a race among the others, including the recent winners SATISFIER, SIR DONALD and ECSTATIC not to mention MEDIC ON BIARD who is down to be ridden by last season's record breaking champion Trevor Simpson, back from a six-week stay in the United States.
The Philip Feanny-trained SATISFIER bids for his fourth win from his last five starts and is vastly improved in recent months. He slammed RED GENERAL by four lengths over the distance (under topweight) when last raced on February 8 and I take him to extend his streak at the expense of the stretch running pair of SIR DONALD and MEDIC ON BOARD.
Other firm fancies are CALL TO ARMS over POINT GUARD, PALMETTO XPRESS and OBEAHMAN in the closing Long Shot Trophy race ($claiming $100,000) over 1300 metres, ASYNJUR in the 2nd, RAJMIR in the 3rd, GOOD COMPANY 4th and COLONEL GRAMPS to catch JUICE in the 8th.
