By Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
STRAIGHT SIX (outside) responds to a strong ride from leading jockey Shane Ellis to get the better of PHYSICS BOOK (Andrew Nunes) at the wire in the fourth race (claiming $210,000$190,000) over 1100 metres at Caymanas on Saturday. A winning favourite, STRAIGHT SIX was one of three winners for Ellis on the 12-race programme. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
HAVING defied punters for five consecutive racedays, the mushrooming Pick-9 was cornered by two punters at Caymanas Park on Saturday, each receiving a cool million.
It starts anew on tomorrow's midweek programme with a guaranteed minimum of $500,000. Both Super Sixes on the mammoth 12-race programme were also caught, the first embracing races one to six falling to eight punters, each receiving $141,823.50.
The attractive payout was due to mild upsets by LADY BALLARI at 5-1 in the strangely run third race for the Jockeys' Association Trophy and THE RHYTHM DOCTOR at 8-1 in the sixth race, this confined to exercise riders over 800 metres straight.
The second Super-6, which provided punters with a perfect start via five-star banker DISTINCTLY IRISH, who passed his Guineas prep with flying colours in the seventh race over 1300 metres, saw 117 correct forecasts, each receiving $4,144.00. The only upset, if it could be deemed as such, was FLYING TIGER at odds of 9-1 in the ninth race for the George HoSang Trophy over the straight five course.
MADE ALL
Ridden by in-form Leo Miller, the four-year-old gelding made all on the outside, holding on by three-quarter length in a driving finish from his more fancied stable-companion CRUCIAL POINT and the highly fancied CAPTAIN BLIGH who closed strongly in the last furlong after missing the break.
It is beyond me how FLYING TIGER was neglected in the betting to the tune of 9-1, bearing in mind that he had worked brilliantly coming into the race and is something of a specialist over the straight as well.
However, the fact that stable jockey Trevor Simpson had elected to ride CRUCIAL POINT for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta in preference to stable-companion FLYING TIGER obviously contributed to FLYING TIGER drifting out in the betting and CRUCIAL POINT coming in well backed at 3-1.
The value of Lasix (or Salix) as a raceday medication was strongly underlined by LIL' COUNTRY BOY who made all impressively in the Arthur Jones Cup, putting it across the highly fancied stable-companions I'MSATISFIED and HERECOMESFUDGIE, who have taken turns at beating each other in four 'A1' races this season.
LIL 'COUNTRY BOY was scoped and administered Lasix for the first time to stop internal bleeding and looked awesome. The Percy Hussey-trained SLEW DANCER, who bled profusely in her previous race when finishing last of six, was also administered Lasix for the first time and duly romped the first race, as did BLOW WIND BLOW.
POSITIVE EFFECT
Formerly a prohibited substance under the rules of racing in Jamaica, Lasix is having a positive effect on the racing product since it was legalised and implemented by the Jamaica Racing Commission as a raceday medication in April of last year and could be the most important development since the introduction of the Claiming System in 1993.
Philip Feanny's unbeaten gelding DISTINCTLY IRISH established himself as a hot ante-post favourite for the April 3 Track Price Plus 2000 Guineas with a typically easy victory, but the Husseys introduced a big, strong colt by the name of LOCHNESS DRAGON who looked to have great classic potential after his effortless win in the closing race over 1300 metres.
I suspect, however, that the son of Natural Selection - Loch Ness is born the wrong year. But then, racing is a sport of glorious uncertainties.
