Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

In a bang up finish, the favourite ALLIEDFORCE (second left) with champion jockey Omar Walker aboard, wins the ninth race over 1600 metres from SIR KHAN (right), Robert Reid aboard, and the 99-1 JODI'S CALL (second right), ridden by Kevin Blake, at Caymanas Park on Saturday. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Despite two stunning upsets in BUSTER JACK (34-1) and CELEBRATION TIME (26-1), the Pick-9 was cornered by three punters at Caymanas Park on Saturday, each receiving $920,338.00.

The fact that nearly all of the other races went to the favourites, however, tells us why this Pick-9 was caught.

Winning favourites were STATE PRINCE at 2-5 in the second race, FLASH FLOOD at 4-5 in the third, DR. BADOO at 4-5 in the sixth, JACK BE GOOD at evens in the seventh race for the Millard Ziadie Cup and ALLIEDFORCE at 1-2 in the ninth race.

ALLIEDFORCE, one of three winners for champion jockey Omar Walker, surprisingly scrambled home by only a neck in the overnight allowance mile in the pedestrian time of 1:40.0.

Badly outpaced in the early stages as the outsider TRACK STAR led from THE ADMIRAL, SIR KHAN and the 99-1 outsider JODI'S CALL, who ran a blinder, ALLIEDFORCE made rapid headway on the outside approaching the home turn to straighten within striking distance of the new leader JODI'S CALL. The 2006 Governor's Cup and St. Leger winner took the whole year to close on the outside, but eventually got up in the nick of time under a bustling ride to win by a neck from 29-1 outsider SIR KHAN, who finished well on the rails, with JODI'S CALL a farther head away between horses.

Better assistance

Had JODI'S CALL received better assistance from the saddle by the apprentice, the result would have been different.

It was widely believed that ALLIEDFORCE was let in lightly by the conditions, especially in an overnight allowance rather than an open allowance race and according to popular racing scribe, Franciso 'Linky' Mills on At The Track, should have at least carried top weight. But then again he would have lost.

Although numbered among the best horses in training, ALLIEDFORCE, who finished a close fifth to MAJOR MAYER in the November 10 Megaforce Superstakes, reserves his best for two-turn races and is always vulnerable in races at 1600 metres or 1800.

SEVENTH ATTEMPT

The four-year-old filly FLASH FLOOD (Shane Ellis up) finally got it right on her seventh attempt in winning the third race for maidens over the straight, but her trainer Gary Subratie was not around to see her win.

Subratie was in Florida and in his absence FLASH FLOOD was saddled jointly by his former assistant trainer Dalton Sirjue (now a full-fledged trainer) and the filly's owner Gordon Lewis.

Hopes were high that the stable would complete a double with highly fancied RAMADA in the fifth race, the five-year-old mare having taken a significant drop in class. But, as always, RAMADA just lacks the will to win races and had to settle for second to the outsider CELEBRATION TIME, her former stable-companion.