Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
The grey RENEIKA (Leo Miller) powers home in the mud to win the 4-y-o and up maiden special over 1100 metres in post-to-post fashion at Caymanas Park yesterday. Trained by Lawrence Freemantle, RENEIKA won easily as the 6-5 favourite. - CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
TICKING LIKE a bomb, CLOCK WORK made short work of his opponents at Caymanas Park yesterday with a fast-time runaway victory in the Fontainbleu Trophy open allowance feature over 1500 metres.
Installed a 3-5 favourite in a field of eight, CLOCK WORK with four-time champion Charles Hussey for leading trainer Wayne DaCosta, broke smartly from the outside post position and proceeded to lead on a snug hold from COURT CASE and TOTAL MOTION before opening up at the halfway stage.
COMMANDING LEAD
He turned for home with a commanding lead over COURT CASE and MIRACLE MAN (5-2) and was merely racing the clock over the last furlong, stopping it at 1:30.1 behind splits of 23.3, 45.4 for the half mile and sizzling 1:10.2 for the first 1200 metres. This bettered by two-fifths of a second the stakes record held by TEMPERENCE OAKS since September, 1996 and was only four fifths of a second outside the long standing track record held by the grey SKY TRAIN since May, 1983.
An American bred 3-y-o colt by Crafty Friend, CLOCK WORK who won by eight lengths from MIRACLE MAN and SEATTLE'S GIRL (6-1), is co-owned by Winston Kong and Wayne DaCosta. This was his fifth win from nine starts this season and, according to Kong, his next objective is the valuable Red Stripe Mile for imported horses on Superstakes Day, November 12.
Meanwhile, title-chasing jockey Brian Harding highlighted the 10-race programme with three winners to close the gap on leading jockey Trevor Simpson who sat out day two of a three-day suspension.
Harding won aboard the vastly improved TROPICAL STORM (2-1, closing strongly) for owner/trainer Louis Richard's in the third race, the 3-y-o debutante and 2-5 favourite DON LIMPIO in for trainer Anthony Nunes in the fourth and the DaCosta-trained DIGI N' JIGGY who made all at 3-1 in the fifth.
Harding, who narrowly missed a fourth when the Ken Mattis-trained TRUE SENSATION (3-1) was beaten a nose by 5-1 chance PRINCESSJACQUELINE in the eighth race over the straight, pushed his season's tally to 65, four adrift of Simpson who is bidding for his fourth consecutive championship.
JIG YOUNG at 12-1 made all in the Monica Todd Memorial Trophy over 2000m.
