Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

In a tremendous stretch duel, Charles Hussey, aboard the highly fancied JOSIE WALES (No.6), scrambles home by a nose from the favourite, THE GUARDIAN, under an inspired ride from leading jockey Omar Walker who lost his whip, in the Lester Saunders Memorial Trophy over 1400 metres for maiden two-year-olds at Caymanas Park on Saturday. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

The Pick-9 and Super-6 failed to survive Saturday's racing, despite a 12-1 upset by POWERFUL BELLE in the closing race over the straight five course.

The day's other notable upset was recorded by BABY RENEE at 13-1 in the opening race, but this was outside the perimeter of the Pick-9 and Super-6.

Even with five favourites obliging in the Pick-9 and three second favourites chipping in as well, the Pick-9 was caught by only five punters, each receiving $200,000. This was, indeed, a hefty sum, bearing in mind that eight of the winners were easy to spot.

Lone upsetter

Lone upsetter POWERFUL BELLE was not all that difficult to spot either, considering she proved competitive (third) behind TOUCHDOWN over 1300 metres in her previous race on October 13.

Trainer Fredrick Watson presented the five-year-old mare in fine fettle and she duly obliged, but only by a short head from hat-trick seeker BACK POCKET, who was neglected in the betting to the tune of 57-1 owing to a poor draw on the far rails.

I ran into an ardent turfite shortly after the race on Saturday and he was lamenting the fact that BACK POCKET, his pick in both the Pick-9 and Super-6, was beaten on the wire by the Andre Martin-ridden POWERFUL BELLE, denying him a truckload of cash.

"Mi vex man," he said, flashing his ticket in front of me. "De bwoy dash it whey star ... mi salt yuh know."

What he didn't know was that my Super-6 also came to grief in the last race after closing on three horses - the favourite CHOSEN ONE (slowly into stride), SHAKE YOUR BOOTY (weakened) and COCK ROBIN who was fast overhauling the first two when the post intervened, losing by only a length.

Winning favourites were BLUE CHIP in the second race, SUMMER WIND in the fourth, SCHIZANDRA in the seventh, ABOUNDING GRACE in the eighth and NATURAL DESIRE at 3-5 in the day's feature, the Jockey Club Stakes.

One of three winners for Trevor Simpson, NATURAL DESIRE won in fine style and is on course for the Megaphone Superstakes on November 10.

Reverse situation

Usually, when a jockey loses a race by a nose or a short head aboard an odds-on favourite at Caymanas Park, he incurs the wrath of backers. However, this situation was reversed in the fourth race on Saturday when 1-5 favourite THE GUARDIAN, ridden by jockey of the moment, Omar Walker, was beaten a nose by highly fancied JOSIE WALES under four-time champion Charles Hussey in the Lester Saunders Memorial Cup.

Both horses were locked in a tremendous stretch duel during which Walker's whip fell leaving the furlong pole. But the youngster was not perturbed, providing a terrific riding display with hands and heels, which just failed.

An obviously impressed Hussey gave Walker a congratulatory hi-five after they flashed past the post together. The crowd, buzzing with excitement, had to concede: "De bwoy can ride."