Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

Hussey ... to pilot Blue Marlin.

TWELVE NATIVE-bred three-year-old fillies are slated to contest today's midweek feature for the Flossie McNeil Memorial Cup at Caymanas Park, a race which has a rather open look about it.

Supporting feature on the 11-race programme is race No. 5 in the second CTL Claiming Series ($200,000 and less) over 1200 metres. This has attracted 13 starters including hat-trick seeker RISING MOON, KERMIT, MEDICAL ACCOUNT, SIMPLY AWESOME, PURE JUSTICE and MAMA'S GIRL, who has won three of her past four races. Leading lights in the Flossie McNeil Memorial are BLUE MARLIN, LADY SEETADEO, LIGHT MY FIRE, ADINA, FIRE DE TRAINER and lightly- raced TALLAWAH, who is out for the first time since finishing ninth to SWING BY in the 1000 Guineas over a mile on April 1.

Despite the lengthy absence, TALLAWAH, to be ridden by champion jockey Brian Harding for trainer Anthony Nunes, reports well-trained and on past performances, and could return with a bang over the shorter distance.

LADY SEETADEO and LIGHT MY FIRE finished close up in third and fifth respectively, to SHIVOYNE over 1300 metres on October 28, and either is capable of taking home the trophy on the strength of those performances. The Alroy Watson-trained LADY SEETADEO, in particular, should welcome the shorter distance and back in action with only 50kg by virtue of apprentice's Delroy Beharie 4kg claiming allowance, should make her presence felt throughout.

Still, the one best equipped to pull it off is BLUE MARLIN, who has finished second in her last two races.

Knocking at the door

To be ridden by four-time champion Charles Hussey for his brother Percy and mom Ruth, BLUE MARLIN has been knocking at the door for some time, but today she gets a glorious opportunity to emulate her maiden win over this very trip back in May.

She was decisively beaten by the progressive FIREWATER at a mile on November 1. However, she had every chance when challenging the Allan 'Billy' Williams-trained colt approaching the distance but was inclined to hang right a furlong out, enabling FIREWATER to slip away.

Prior to that, she was second to CARIBBEAN MINISTER over 1500 metres.

BLUE MARLIN strikes me as the type who will prefer the shorter distance of this race and having trained well, should prove hard to contain in the last furlong. I am expecting her to win from TALLAWAH and LADY SEETADEO.

In the CTL Claiming race, KERMIT gets the ideal trip on this occasion and should turn the tables on his recent conqueror RISING MOON, and beat PURE JUSTICE and MAMA'S GIRL as well.

Other firm fancies on the card are THUNDER CLAP to win the second race ahead of THE KID, PSYCHEDELIC in the third for two-year-olds, LAW LADY in the fourth, the course specialist DOUBLE BOW in the seventh and MARINERO over VENOM in the 11th race over the straight.