Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
PICK-9 ACTIVITY intensified at Caymanas Park yesterday with sales going through the roof. However, for the eighth consecutive raceday, no punter was good enough to spot all nine winners.
As a result, the carryover to this Saturday's race meet stands at a whopping $4,059,211.80. The Super-6 also eluded punters for the second straight raceday and the carryover to Saturday is $959,158.80.
With lots of Christmas money floating around, punters dug deeper than usual in order to catch this Pick-9, as they were obviously enticed by an attractive carryover of $3,048,861.40 from last Saturday.
The crowd received a perfect start when the highly fancied two-year-old debutante SARAH'S FRIEND at 3-5 went by the early leader and marginal favourite SEATTLE'S GIRL early in the straight to give champion jockey Trevor Simpson his 128th winner of the season.
TREND CONTINUES
The trend continued in the next race where 4-5 favourite TUTOR under veteran jockey Richie Robertson made all to win convincingly, while speedy KINKOTSU LIU LIU duly obliged as the 8-5 second favourite in the third to keep Pick-9 players smiling.
It was also smooth sailing in the fourth race which provided an easy victory for the 4-5 favourite SPIRIT ROCK, who led all the way with in-form apprentice Howard Newell riding for owner/trainer Tony Brown. But that was as good as it got.
The first big stumbling block came in the fifth race (over the straight) in which Simpson's mount DEARDREAMER was installed an even-money favourite ahead of his main rival on paper, FUSILIER at 7-5. Neither was around at the finish, as the 19-1 outsider SEAGAR with Chris Fearon riding for trainer Percy Hussey, made all convincingly to win from his more fancied stable-companion MAGIC DRAGON (5-1) with stable-jockey Charles Hussey aboard.
The two, who raced in the silks of leading owner Ruth Hussey who seems on course for her first owners' championship, were followed home by SWEET LOOKING GUY at 21-1 and SIR KNIGHT at 60-1.
ROUT COMPLETED
With the vast majority of Pick-9 players jolted by SEAGAR, the rout was completed in the very next race where another grey horse, HIGH GRADE at 10-1, produced a devastating last furlong run to catch and beat the howling 2-5 favourite ROYAL COMMAND stealing home by a neck.
This race, run over 1500 metres, was in fact the day's feature for the Richard Ashenheim Cup contested by 14 native bred maiden two-year-olds.
By the time MINISTER ON WHEELS held on gamely on the wide outside to win the seventh race at odds of 8-1 under the improving apprentice Dalton Brown, another Pick-9 carryover was a mere formality. If caught on Saturday, a payout in excess of $5.5 million looks a real possibility.
Meanwhile, HIGH GRADE who got up in the nick of time to tag the Shane Ellis-ridden ROYAL COMMAND, is a grey colt by Royal Minister out of the Slick Trick mare Shaneisha. He was well ridden from off the pace by Andrew Thomas for owner Odessa and trainer Patrick Fong.
No jockey managed more than one winner.
