Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

Bullet Train (left), running as the even money favourite with Paul Francis aboard, gets the better of Pyrite Tonight (David McKenzie), and Askawoman (right), with Wesley Henry aboard, in the closing stages of the Restricted Allowance I straight five race at Caymanas Park on Saturday. The winner is trained by reigning champion Wayne DaCosta. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

A lucky punter will have a merry little Christmas after cornering the $5.4 million Pick-9 at Caymanas Park on Saturday.

He emerged the only punter to spot all nine winners, this after the popular exotic bet had eluded punters for seven consecutive racedays.

Although there were no startling upsets, finding nine winners is never easy. But with a lot at stake and the Christmas breeze beginning to flow, the lone punter rose to the occasion, ensuring a huge payday for himself.

The Pick-9 races produced five winning favourites and two mild upsets in PRINCESS SHELIA at 5-1 in the fourth race and ASIA WINTER at 4-1 in the eighth.

The Percy Hussey-trained ASIA WINTER seemingly had it all to do when badly outpaced entering the straight in the 1300-metre race.

However, Hall of Fame-jockey Charles Hussey conjured a terrific last furlong run from ASIA WINTER, the American four-year-old colt getting up in the final stride to beat the battling leaders CONCORDE and STORMY SKY in muddy conditions.

Winning favourites

Winning Pick-9 favourites were DR. SOCRATES at 4-5 in the fifth race, the American colt widely used as a banker; STEAD GOLD at 3-5 in the seventh, AITCH-EMESBEAGLE at 8-5 in the ninth; BULLET TRAIN at evens in the 10th; and NASATOL, who romped the closing race as the 3-5 favourite.

MUCHO GUSTO, who won the $2.5 million feature race, the Supreme Ventures-sponsored Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy for two-year-olds over 1400 metres, was well backed at 5-2, despite facing the three horses who finished in front of him in the recent Red Stripe 2-Y-O Breeders' Stakes over the same distance.

They were stable-companions RUN ALDEENO, MARK TO MARKET and STRONG HOPE who was installed a 6-5 favourite on Saturday.

However, with the going apparently favouring the free-running horses, MUCHO GUSTO had other ideas and duly turned the tables on the three Wayne DaCosta-trained horses. After the race, trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes praised his charge for delivering the goods in such unsuitable track conditions for two-year-olds.

However, it was widely believed that the change of equipment (visor on) made the difference between winning and losing, not to mention that champion jockey Brian Harding rode an enterprising race by saving ground on the inside entering the straight, then angling away his mount from the rails from early, to out-finish long-time leader ALNASKRA in a driving finish.

STRONG HOPE ran as though he hated the underfoot conditions (outpaced), and was never a factor, plodding home a poor sixth in the eight-strong field and killing his hopes of winning the million-dollar bonus for his owners. He'll be back.