MARK ORELUE, who back on November 26 tipped all nine winners on a mid-week programme, has once again emerged champion tipster, winning both sections of the CTL competition in 2003.
Representing the racing web site Ultraquest, Orelue won the most wins section with a total of 368 - 13 clear of closest rival Klas, Donovan 'Mark' Cunningham who is better known as the maurading tipster 'The Clockman' from the popular Track Price Plus competition at the back of the Track & Pools.
Orelue also topped the wagering section of the competition, a distinction he failed to achieve in 2002. Significantly, he emerged the only tipster to finish with an overall profit on level stakes (plus $730.00), a remarkable feat.
Orelue went a step further by winning the last quarter in the wins section with a total of 109 - four clear of On Track (V. Lloyd Simpson).
Interestingly, he was prevented from making a clean sweep of all sections by many-time champion, Orville Clarke (Daily Gleaner) who topped the wagering section in the last quarter with a healthy plus $573.50.
Orelue, who had nosed out Clarke in this category in the third quarter, had to settle for second this time with plus $17.50, the only other tipster to finish positive.
Clarke, who spotted eight winners on the last day, finished a clear second in the wagering section (overall) with a minus $612.50, well clear of the next best tipster, The News (Errol Dunn) with a minus $3,142.50. All the others were deep, deep in the red.
For his efforts, Orelue will receive total prize money of close to $100,000, while 'The Clockman' secures $15,000 for having finished second overall, Simpson $10,000 for placing third, not to mention Clarke for winning the last quarter.
The competition is sponsored by Caymanas Track Limited and contested by 16 media tipsters. Tips appear each raceday in the Daily Gleaner.
The final standings are Orelue (368), Cunningham (355), V. Lloyd Simpson (353), Clarke (352), Sunday Herald (Little Willie) 345, Compuform 335, Irie 328, The News 326, Jamaica Observer 325, Hot 102 322, X-News 319, Track & Pools (Kirk Kong) 314, Jimmie of The Star 313, RJR 306, TVJ 287, CVM TV 271.
And in wagering section: Orelue plus $730, Clarke minus $612.05, Dunn minus $3,142.50, TVJ minus $3,247.50, CVM TV (Rohan Daley) minus $3,402.00, On Track minus $3,644.50, Jamaica Observer minus 3,841.00, RJR minus $4,098.50, X-News minus $4,129.50, Sunday Herald minus $4,403.50, Compuform minus $4,574.00, Irie minus $4,772.00, Klas minus $5,741.00, Star minus $6,287.00, Hot 102 minus $6,469.50 and Track & Pools minus $7,961.00.
This year's competition will see a change in form. The organisers have decided to discontinue the wagering section and replace it with a points section as was the case six years ago.
Tipsters will gain five points for a winner, three for second, two for third, fourth one and lose a point for an unplaced selection. In the case of nap selections, a tipster will be awarded 10 points if the horse wins but if it loses, he will lose 10 points.
