By Orville Clarke, Freelance WriterTHANKS TO a 17-1 upset by PRIME POSSESSION in the fifth race, both the Pick-9 and Super-6 had no takers.
As a result, both offer carryovers going into tomorrow's midweek meet. The Super-6 boasts a carryover of $511,046.10 and should offer a payout in excess of $1 million if caught. The Pick-9 has a $500,000 carryover.
Ridden by the sparingly used jockey Rudolph 'Yellow' Paige, PRIME POSSESSION held on grimly by a neck in a driving finish to beat the howling favourite RAZZAK with champion jockey Trevor Simpson astride.
However, PRIME POSSESSION gave his backers some anxious moments, as he had to survive a Stewards' inquiry for darting out sharply coming on to the main track in the straight five race.
The vast majority of Super-6 players failed to start their bets in the fifth race as a result of PRIME POSSESSION's upset win.
The remaining races in the Pick-9 and Super-6 were won by fairly well backed horses. However, in the fourth race for two-year-olds, most Pick-9 players were burnt by the hot favourite RAGING STORM who was decisively beaten by fellow debutante BLACK RIVER, a 5-1 chance with four-time champion Charles Hussey riding for his brother Percy and mom, Ruth.
Running from off the pace over 1100 metres, the nice-looking dark bay filly by Pangur Ban out of Louvre ran on strongly on the inside rails approaching the distance, to sweep past the 1-5 favourite RAGING STORM (Simpson up), winning by 4-1/2 lengths.
She covered the distance in the somewhat pedestrian time of 1:09.3, but punters should not be fooled by the time as the track was riding very slow on Saturday.
GILNOCK, for instance, romped the first race by seven lengths over 1400 metres in a slowish time of 1:27.3. On a fast surface, GILNOCK would easily have chipped a full second off his running time, remembering that this was a high claiming event.
DRIVING FINISH
The same is true of KING AL, who won the ninth race over 1100 metres for the Gerry Skelton Memorial Cup in a driving finish, covering the distance in 1:07.1. Significantly, KING AL won over the same distance in a fast 1:06.3 on October 18 with more weight on a $390,000 tag. And he was pitted against better horses (overnight allowance) on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a minute's silence was observed at the track in mid-afternoon to mark the anniversary of the tragic death of lightweight jockey Al Gopie in a spill five years to the day and date. On Saturday, November 20, 1999, Gopie's mount SAGAR was involved in a spill at the half-mile and the jockey died later that evening in hospital.
