With HIGH ROLLER upsetting at 37-1 upset in the seventh race on Wednesday, the Pick-9 had no takers.
The Pick-9 will embrace all nine races tomorrow, the Super-6 from race four to nine. We look at the Super-6 which gets under way with a four-year-old and up race (non winners of two) to be contested by seven starters over the round-five course. The horses to note are KIKO, SAYURI, MEDUSA and recent winner KING OF THE TRACK.
Given this quick sprint, KIKO (knocking at the door) looks best equipped to pull it off, having finished second in in his last three races. He failed by half a length to stave off the outsider FIRELINK over 1100 metres on January 24 and on the strength of that performance, looks the right choice with Devon A. Thomas aboard.
Champion jockey
The fifth race over the straight for maiden three-year-olds for the Omar Walker Trophy, in honour of the reigning champion jockey, should resolve itself into a straight fight between the well-forward debutante THE GUV and CIO MOTO, who caught the eye on his recent debut over the course in the Mercury Sprint, finishing a close third to IT IS WRITTEN.
Two-time local champion Brian Harding, back from his base in Trinidad, is down to ride the Anthony Nunes-trained CIO MOTO for his old stable. Preference, however, is for THE GUV, a grey colt by Royal Minister out of Havasac which makes him a half brother to PAGEE PRINCESS. He has moved impressively at exercise in preparation for this trophy and looks a smart cookie.
In the sixth race, the Sir Howard Stakes over 1200 metres for native bred three-year-olds, trainer Percy Hussey holds a strong hand with both PROGRESSIVE and NAVAL COMMANDER (working well). This pair, along with SUGAR'S IMAGE, IT IS WRITTEN and GUAN YU, should ensure keen competition among the six starters, but PROGRESSIVE, who won easily over the distance at the backend of last season, and has been administered Lasix for this race, gets the nod, but only just.
Stable-companion
Briefly, the Nunes-trained PATARA, who made a smashing debut over 1100 metres last Boxing Day, has looked sharp at exercise and should repeat at the expense of stable-companion C'EST MOI in the Hot Line Stakes over 1200 metres for three-year-old fillies. Then, take the luckless MINISTEROFJUSTICE to go one better in the eighth race for the St Catherine Cup, and DON'T STAY NAKED over COLLEGE BOY and CHOO CHOO CHOO in the ninth and final over the straight for $180,000 claimers.
SUPER-6 FANCIES
(4) KIKO
(5) THE GUV/CIO MOTO
(6) PROGRESSIVE/SUGAR'S IMAGE/GUAN YU
(7) PATARA
(8) MINISTEROFJUSTICE/MR SKILL
(9) DON'T STAY NAKED/COLLEGE BOY/CHOO CHOO CHOO.