By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterEIGHT Horses from the $210,000 - $180,000 claiming spread are slated to contest today's Caymanas Park feature race for the Alty McKenzie Memorial Cup over 1600 metres.
With keen competition anticipated, horses such as NO TEAR, SUPREME POWER, QUEEN HILL and JIG YOUNG, all proven campaigners over the distance, form the quartet from which the winner should emerge.
The 2003 'Claimer of the Year' NO TEAR returns under new management to vie for this trophy, moving from Rudolph Hardial to leading trainer (most wins) Richie Todd.
With Todd enjoying a good run in trophy races, NO TEAR should come into her own and fight out the finish, especially with champion jockey Trevor Simpson slated to ride her.
NO TEAR finished a remote fourth to REEF RUNNER over 1500 metres on April 10, a race in which she figured prominently for almost 1400 metres. Despite that run, the 6-y-o mare has been working fairly well since and in a race of this nature, will only go down fighting from the convenient mark of 52.0kg.
JIG YOUNG won his last race over this trip on March 17 and although disappointing in two subsequent races, has lowered his sights for a crack at this trophy and is poised to go close. On his best day, JIG YOUNG would not have to extend himself to topple this field with only 49.0kg and competent lightweight jockey Leo Miller aboard.
The same is true of QUEEN HILL, who returns under new management, moving from Tensang Chung to her old trainer, Heaton Thomas.
Although finishing a remote fifth to PROCEEDACCORDINGLY over 1500 metres when last raced on April 17, the stretch running 10-year-old mare is back with the trainer who knows her best and should enter the reckoning with a trophy now at stake. She will relish a mile and is light enough with 52.0kg to land a blow.
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
Still, despite all the chances, the one best equipped to pull it off is SUPREME POWER who has been a model of consistency since his runaway victory over 1400 metres on February 28.
A victory for SUPREME POWER would be most fitting, seeing he is trained by the son (Don McKenzie) of the man in whose memory the race is run.
The 5-y-o gelding caught the eye on May 24 when finishing a close second to CLASSY TANYA in a fast run 1200-metre race (1:14.2 by 23.2, 47.1) and being the fittest in the line-up, will prove hard to beat with only 50.0kg and competent apprentice Dane Nelson up.
SUPREME POWER has the pace to race in close touch for the first half of the race before going through leaving the half mile. Thereafter, he should take some catching.
Other firm fancies on the nine-race card, which commences at 1:30 p.m., are DR. R.S.F. (gets the ideal trip once again) to stave off the down-in-class HAPHAZARD in the second race over 1600 metres, TIFTAYVIA (knocking at the door) in the fourth, SIR GOBIN MUNILAL (less to do here) to catch the free-running MICHAEL POWER in the sixth, PRODIGAL SON (well prepared after a lengthy absence) to romp the eighth and course specialist KING OF THE BAND to prove best of a bad lot in the closing $140,000 claiming race over the straight five course in which RUN RIVER RUN and CLASSIC ACCOUNT are twin dangers.
