RED I, ridden by Jason Simpson, coasts to victory in Friday's 1600-metre 10th race at Caymanas Park. It was RED I's second win in less than a week. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

CHAMPION trainer Wayne DaCosta's THE GUARDIAN should recoup losses in this afternoon's 1300-metre New Year's Day Trophy co-feature despite facing a tough field, including stablemate FOREVER MINE, FLAGAMAN and HOMBRE.

THE GUARDIAN was a disqualified winner on December 6, his number taken down after champion jockey Omar Walker closed the rail run on THE QUEEN closing under Dick Cardenas inside the final half-furlong at 1100 metres.

Walker returned to the saddle at the weekend after serving a ban for the incident, having missed the Boxing Day programme and will be bent on adding the New Year's Day Trophy to Saturday's Sweet Ruckus Trophy victory.

THE GUARDIAN looks a bit stretched out at the distance of 1300 metres but his mid-race pace, if rated kindly, should take him away from the field down the backstretch and into the lane.

FLAGAMAN won at 1300 metres on December 20, beating PLEASURE FLIGHT by a neck. He was rated well by Shane Ellis in that race among non-winners of three but comes up against superior pace and should be asked to run earlier, which could be detrimental when asked to find extra inside the final half-furlong.

Up in class

FOREVER MINE, similar to FLAGAMAN, is also up in class but could be the bogey horse. He ran on well to beat PLEASURE FLIGHT at 1500 metres on December 13 and will be sitting in the catbird seat with Winston Griffiths, waiting on the leaders to quit.

However, he reports 11lb heavier than his last run and could arrive too late to catch THE GUARDIAN, who finished second to MINISTEROFJUSTICE in his five-furlong straight track record run on November 22.

THE GUARDIAN should frank the form of MINISTEROFJUSTICE, who won his next race, beating subsequent winner SHE'S OUTRAGEOUS and was narrowly beaten by WHEEL N DEAL in Saturday's Pringle Cup.

Meanwhile, Morris Powell's REGAL SELECTION is an automatic choice for the traditional CTL Fan Appreciation Day Trophy over 11 furlongs.

REGAL SELECTION won by a smashing seven lengths on December 17 at a mile, finally looking like the big horse he appeared to be when finishing second to JOSIE WALES in the 2007 Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes.

His winning time of 1:38.0, dismissing HOMBRE and STAR OF THE SEA, franked the 1:27.1 he had galloped for seven furlongs at exercise a week earlier.

Having returned to work well again, 1:14.3 for six on Christmas Eve, the four-year-old colt appears to have got over his habit of running wide at the bend and should thoroughly enjoy the distance of 11 furlongs.

Powell's runner is not too heavy at 53.0 kilos to have Shane Ellis biding his time down the backstretch before making his signature stretch run off the turn.

IL CAIMANO, who finished last in the Boxing Day Harry Jackson Memorial at 12 furlongs, returns rather soon for another marathon but that could have been a blowout for the five-year-old, who ran a cracker in October's Governor General's Stakes, going down third by a half-length to subsequent Superstakes winner AD INFINITUM and PRIME MINISTER.

Ran well

IL CAIMANO, the 2007 Gover-nor's Cup winner, also ran well for third in an open allowance race behind SLOGAN and LIKKLE BIT on November 26, four days after extending SATISFIER in overnight allowance, losing by a half-length at 1700 metres.

Trained by Donovan Raymond, IL CAIMANO could be a threat to REGAL SELECTION if he's sound.

However, IL CAIMANO continues to train mainly in the equine pool whereas REGAL SELECTION appears sounder with every race and should be comfortable with every furlong of the race.

HAIL THE GENIUS has been doing well since graduating to overnight allowance, beaten by MINISTEROFJUSTICE and SHE'S OUTRAGEOUS, but is awfully one-paced after making his move off the turn.

If IL CAIMANO comes up short, HAIL THE GENIUS should chase home REGAL SELECTION.