Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

ROYAL CHRIS, running as the 6-5 favourite with Charles Hussey aboard, wins the second race over the circular nine course in a driving finish from SEA CRACKERS (Javour Simpson) at Caymanas Park on Wednesday. Hussey rode three winners on the mid-week card. - Colin Hamilton/ Freelance Photographer

Three trophies are at stake on today's well-supported Caymanas Park 11-race programme, among them the 3-y-o and up overnight allowance for the G.A. 'Sarge' Bucknor Memorial Cup over the straight five course.

Also slated are the 2-y-o maiden special for the Lester Saunders Memorial Trophy over 1400 metres to be contested by seven starters and the $160,000 claiming race for the Monica Todd Memorial Cup over 2000 metres in which nine starters have been declared.

The 'Sarge' Bucknor Memorial Cup promises keen competition among the 11 starters, several of whom are enjoying good form.

Horses such as CHOSEN ONE, DIESEL, ESTOY LISTO, SUPER NATURAL, recent winner ITALQUEEN, hat-trick seeker CHARMING LUTHER and the sparingly American 4-y-o filly UNKNOWN VARIABLE should figure prominently in the outcome.

UNKNOWN VARIABLE, from the in-form stables of Gary Subratie, is an interesting entry.

After winning races in both the United States and Canada, she was shipped to Jamaica and finished a fair fourth, beaten 5-1/2 lengths, to SI MI TRIAL over this trip in open allowance company on September 9 and followed up a week later when 7-1/4 lengths fifth to EXCLUSIVE RUNNER in the valuable CTL Imported Stakes over 1400 metres.

She has looked better at exercise since and, now fully acclimatised, could come into her own and fight out the finish from the convenient mark of 52.0kg.

Philip Feanny's DIESEL has been knocking at the door lately and is not too high in the handicaps with 56.0kg to take home this trophy, nor is the Anthony Nunes-trained ESTOY LISTO who failed by a length to beat SUPER NATURAL when last venturing over the course on July 25.

the consistent

Still, the one best equipped to pull it off must be the consistent CHOSEN ONE, who has been burning up the track at exercise in preparation for this race.

Trained by Dwight Chen, the five-year-old gelding has not finished worse than third in four of his last five races over varied distances. However, when last venturing over the straight on August 19, the son of Law Of The Sea stayed on well to finish a close third to KINGSTONIAN. Significantly, the runner-up DOUBLE BOW, beat CHOSEN ONE by only a length in that race and DOUBLE BOW, a specialist over the course, has come back to win twice since.

This speaks volumes for the chances of CHOSEN ONE, who is nicely drawn at post position 10. He will also have the services of five-time champion jockey Trevor Simpson, the rider who knows him best.

Other firm fancies on the card are PEACE & LOVE in the 3rd, LADY ATWAREE n the 4th, SMOOTH DUDE in the Lester Saunders Memorial, SIR CHACHA BABA to stave off MAAS JOE in the 8th and MAGIC DRAGON in the 9th.