Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

STRAIGHT FIVE specialist LA REINA danced away with the Reggae Trophy graded stakes feature in a fast time at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Installed a 2-1 third favourite in a field of six, LA REINA, with champion jockey Brian Harding riding for trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes and owner Elias Haloute, won by 1 1/4 lengths from her recent conqueror SI MI TRIAL (3-1) who had 2 1/4 lengths to spare over the even-money favourite LIL'COUNTRY BOY in third.

LIL' COUNTRY BOY, toting the crushing impost of 60.5kg with Charles Hussey up, led in mid-track just ahead of highly fancied SEATTLE'S GIRL and SI MI TRIAL with the hard-ridden LA REINA not far adrift on the far side.

under pressure

LIL'COUNTRY BOY came under pressure from SI MI TRIAL and LA REINA leaving the quarter pole and was a spent force passing the furlong pole. At this stage, both had already come through as a team with LA REINA gaining the ascendancy midway through the last furlong for a decisive victory.

Bred by Clifton Williams, the consistent 4-y-o bay filly by Pat N' Jack out of Regina Savage covered the distance in the good time of 57 (22.1, 45.3), three-fifths of a second outside the track record held by FLYING TIGER since January of last year. This was her ninth win from 19 career starts with stakes earnings of $2.9 million.

Harding, Nunes and Haloute had another winner on the card in the highly fancied two-year-old debutante IL CAIMANO in the opening race over 1100 metres. Nunes also posted CALABASH BAY in the seventh to make it a triple.

Elsewhere on the card, apprentice Omelio Francis notch his first career win aboard 2-1 chance LEGENDARY GLITZ in the third race, becoming the 10th apprentice from the batch of 15 which graduated from the Jockeys' School just over two months ago to ride a winner.