By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterWITH THE fancied horses holding their own at Caymanas Park on Saturday, the $3.3 million Pick-9 failed to survive the afternoon.
It was cornered by 60 punters, each receiving $55,641.50. This could be considered a small fortune in that seven of the nine winning horses went off the favourite. And the two remaining winners, BULLETWOOD (9-5) and MAGIC DRAGON (2-1) in the closing race, were firm second favourites.
One tipster, Gizzie, in the popular Star/Track Price Plus competition which appears at the back of the Track & Pools, spotted eight winners including six in a row. It was that easy.
Among the Pick-9 winners was a Portmore punter, Court-ney, who took his chances with $180.00.
FIVE BANKERS
"Looking at the programme I anticipated that the Pick-9 would be easier than usual and felt I could catch it if I carried five bankers. Assessing the races, I felt that two horses ridden by champion jockey Trevor Simpson, IDITAROD and UNTOUCHABLE, were give-ways, while on closer examination I also decided to carry LYSA PRELUDE and CRIMSON MAGIC, both ridden by leading jockey Oneil Mullings, as bankers.
"My big problem was finding a fifth banker. It came down to either SHOWDOWN or HADDO, but not wanting to carry a banker in the first race, I elected to carry SHOWDOWN and the runner-up QUEEN HILL, while taking HADDO as my fifth banker," he explained.
Now he's $55,000 richer, thanks he says to Mullings, who rode the race of his life aboard CRIMSON MAGIC to beat the Trevor Simpson-ridden SIR ABBAS MANGAL by a head in the penultimate race for the Alty Armond Memorial Cup.
"It was definitely my day to connect," says the appreciative punter.
"Simpson rarely loses in a tight finish but this time he ran into a confident rider who is just as hungry as him to win races."
With cash at his disposal, the lucky punter says he is willing to risk up to $5,000 in an attempt to win the Pick-9 again tomorrow.
"They say that lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, but I will be gunning to prove that theory wrong," he argued.
Whatever happens, he will be relying heavily on Simpson and Mullings again to pave the way, with some help from a supporting cast.
