Ainsley Walters, Freelance Reporter

HAIL THE GENIUS is pushed out by Trinidadian champion jockey Brian Harding to win the final event on the 13-race Boxing Day card at Caymanas Park last Wednesday. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

A NEW YEAR of racing kicks off at Caymanas Park this afternoon with more than $5.5m in carryovers, $974,625 in the Super-6 and an elusive Pick-9, which opens at $4.5 million in the second race.

Trainer Anthony Nunes' MUCHO GUSTO, who returns off a near six-month lay-up, is a firm banker to land the 1300-metre New Year's Day Trophy, one of three feature races on the 10-race card.

Percy Hussey's ACCOMPONG bids for a fourth straight win when he lines up in the CTL Fan Appreciation Trophy over 11 furlongs and in the afternoon's sponsored event, the McKay Security Trophy, SIR MOHAN-DAS BABA should start as ante-post favourite.

Outclass rivals

MUCHO GUSTO, who bravely battled RUM TALK and THE BOMBER in last year's three-year-old classics without a victory, is expected to outclass rivals in the New Year's Day Trophy.

Nunes' runner finished second in last year's 2000 Guineas and Lotto Classic before claiming third in both the Derby and St. Leger, races in which THE BOMBER and RUM TALK, respectively, traded victories, denying the Anthony Nunes-trained runner a classic win.

MUCHO GUSTO returns travel-ling sweetly at exercise, posting 1:06.2 for five and a half-furlong last Thursday morning.

Dangerous contender

Champion trainer Wayne Da-Costa's MARK TO MARKET and Kenneth Mattis' TAKE FIVE both won their last races and should give MUCHO GUSTO much to do.

MARK TO MARKET made all to beat JET SKIER by three lengths, but the quality of the race could be questioned with an average filly, SHE'S OUTRA-GEOUS, finishing three quarters of a length behind JET SKIER for third place.

If MUCHO GUSTO reports rusty, which his exercise reports do not suggest, Kenneth Mattis' TAKE FIVE will be a dangerous contender.

The speedy filly clocked 1:12.3 for six furlongs on December 22, pulling away from THE BEST MAN, behind a five-furlong split of 59.0, and should have no problems with the extra half-furlong.