By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterWITH LONG pocket gamblers expected to dig deep, tomorrow's big Pick-9 jackpot at Caymanas Park could go pretty close to $4 million.
The carryover going into tomorrow's race meet stands at a whopping $3,082.280 and with bigger bucks at stake, racing fans will be going that extra mile to corner the cash-eating monster.
The Pick-9 embraces races three to 11, while the Super-6 is from race six through to 11. As usual the focus is on the Super-6, but I would advise Pick-9 players to start with DR. RSF, BOUND FOR GLORY and PATAS DE FUEGO in the third race, QUIET GIANT and NAUGHTY BY NATURE in the 4th and CHOSEN ONE as a banker in the fifth, the Jockey Club Stakes.
Thereafter it's the Super-6 races, beginning with a $210,000 - $180,000 straight five race to be contested by 12 starters.
Included in the lineup is the profound course specialist INSTRUMENTHAL to be ridden by champion jockey Trevor Simpson for in-form trainer Richie Todd who also has another highly fanced runner in CRUCIAL TIMES.
Both are ideally suited to the straight, but INSTRUMENTHAL has such an imposing record over the course that he looks the right choice drawn his favourable high number drawm even moreso that he's down in class. Also expected to figure prominently are TIGERINTHEWOODS, TURBULENCE, the recent course winner LA RUDE and of course, CRUCIAL TIMES.
LITTLE TO BEAT
Simpson should also win the seventh race over 1200 metres aboard the consistent VALID REASON who has little to beat on this occasion.
Trained by Gary Subratie, the four-year-old filly was not disgraced when finishing fourth to CORDITE over the straight five course on August 25 and prior to that she lost out in a three-way photo-finish to LADY DOC and subsequent winner LONG LONG JOURNEY over this trip on August 6. APACHE BRAVE, who finished 9 1/2 lengths fifth in the latter race, looks her main danger with the tongue tie now fitted.
One of the more open races on the card is the eighth to be contested by 16 maiden three-year-olds over 1100 metres, a race in which no fewer than seven have winning claims. These include the speedy TARBO (Simpson up), SEE THE LIGHT to be ridden by Shane Ellis, JAMAICA QUEEN, COURT OF JUSTICE, VELOCITY and ANCIENT SOUL who, though worse drawn at post position 16, has the necessary speed to circle this field and make the best of her way home.
FALL VICTIM
ANCIENT SOUL, who finished a good third to PRESIDENTIAL in a slowly run round five race last Saturday, will more than likely fall victim to the lightly raced but improving COURT OF JUSTICE who caught the eye when finishing second at long odds to the debutante MY PRINCESS over 1200 metres on August 22, a race in which she had VELOCITY behind in third, as well as SEE THE LIGHT (5th), AKELA (8th) and the then favourite JAMAICA QUEEN (10th).
Briefly, BUCKEISHA looks best of an unreliable lot in the ninth race where AWESOME MINISTER and SHADE OF JADE are twin dangers. The speedy imported filly U.S. ONE gets the nod over ROYAL MALICE and BUYABOOK in the knotty 10th race (overnight allowance), while it should be MATERIAL BABA over CONQUISTADORESS and LONE SNIPER in the closing but knotty straight five race.
SUPER-6 SELECTIONS
6) INSTRUMENTHAL/
LA RUDE/TIGERINTHEWOODS
7) VALID REASON
8) COURT OF JUSTICE/
VELOCITY/SEE THE LIGHT
9) BUCKEISHA/AWESOME
MINISTER/SHADE OF JADE
10) U.S. ONE/ROYAL MALICE/ BUYABOOK
11) MATERIAL BABA/
CONQUISTADORESS/
LONE SNIPER.
