By Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer 
Lil' Country Boy
THE TWO best horses in the country - LIL' COUNTRY BOY and A KING IS BORN - face off for the very first time in today's grade one feature for the She's On Wheels Trophy over 1100 metres at Caymanas Park and it's a clash to whet the appetite.
American bred LIL'COUNTRY BOY will as usual be ridden by champion jockey Trevor Simpson for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta and owner Alexander Haber. And A KING IS BORN by leading all-time jockey Winston Griffiths, for many-time champion trainer Philip Feanny and popular owner Howard Hamilton.
Significantly, last year the race resulted in a thrilling dead-heat between champion sprinter I'MSATISFIED and SPIRIT OF JAMAICA (subsequently disqualified). But if that was exciting, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Their intended first clash in the Lotto Sprint Trophy over the distance on May 15 did not materialise as A KING IS BORN was a late non-starter on the day, having gone lame.
This time all is right with the 2003 Guineas and Derby winner. And with Lasix administered for the first time, he's coming to run, so to speak.
UNBEATEN
Unbeaten in two starts this season, the classy 4-y-o colt by Royal Minister out of the 1990 Guineas and Derby winner Distinctly Native is coming off an impressive fast time win over the straight five course on July 10 and is sure to prove a tough opponent.
However, whether he can curtail the winning ways of LIL' COUNTRY BOY over 1100 metres is left to be seen.
Since being administered Lasix for the first time on March 20, LIL'COUNTRY BOY has looked awesome in winning four consecutive races in post-to-post fashion, the most recent on June 26 when showing subsequent winner I'MSATISFIED a clean pair of heels in the Eileen Cliggott Trophy over 1300 metres, leading in fast splits of 22:3, 45.1.
Prior to that race LIL'COUNTRY BOY led in even faster splits (22.2, 45.1) when lifting the Lotto Sprint Trophy in the smart time of 1:05.0 and should take a lot of catching.
Both LIL'COUNTRY BOY and A KING IS BORN are class acts and will have their multitude of supporters right down the middle.
The ultimate question is: Can LIL'COUNTRY BOY (59.0kg) successfully allow A KING IS BORN (54.0kg) 5.0kg? I honestly think so.
Other firm fancies on the card are the improving MJEDICAL REPORT to land the second race for three-year-olds, SEATTLE SUE to make all convincingly in the third, CORDITE who failed narrowly on last to atone in the fifth, NATUTAL PRINCE in the seventh and U.S. ONE who beat all barring A KING IS BORN in a recent straight five race to go one better at the expense of ROYAL MALICE in the eighth.
