THE GREYT DOCTOR, one of three winners for title-chasing jockey Paul 'Country' Francis, held off pesky SINGING-INTHERAIN by a length to win the Valbert Marlowe Memorial Cup feature (non-winners of three other than) over 1800 metres at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Installed a 4-5 favourite in a field of seven, the four-year-old grey gelding from the stables of 14-time champion trainer Philip Feanny raced prominently from soon after the start as the rank outsider MYRTLE WAY led for the first half of the race.

THE GREYT DOCTOR went through as a team with the chasing SINGINGIN-THERAIN (5-1) from the half mile and grabbed the lead on the outside entering the straight. However, he had to be driven out from below the distance as SINGINGINTHERAIN on the inside just would not go away, eventually winning by a length.

Non-starter

RIFLEMAN, highly fancied at 5-2 under leading jockey Dane Nelson, stayed on to finish another 1 3/4 lengths third in a field of seven. GABROUSHE (lame) was declared a late non-starter at the gate. By Alisios out of the French Champagne mare Medicine Woman, THE GREYT DOCTOR, who was notching his second win from seven starts this season, is owed and bred by Dr Paul Wright, a past president of the Owners' Association of Jamaica. The 'grey doc' had this to say:

"I was always confident that this horse would win. I had him as a cook food special, but the jockey was even more confident, telling me it was a cook soup special," Wright jokingly remarked.

"True, he was unproven over the distance, but was second in his three previous races to out-of-class horses and his close second to PLEASURE FLIGHT over 1500 metres two months ago convinced me that he would beat these horses over nine furlongs," he added.

Reigning champion

Francis, who starts a two-day suspension on Saturday, also won aboard even-money chance QUICK AND GRAY for trainer Anthony Ferguson in the third race and 1-4 favourite FUGITIVE ( Feanny's second winner) in the sixth race over 1600 metres for maiden three-year-olds.

Francis pushed his season's tally to 46 to hold down third place behind Nelson (55 winners) and reigning champion Omar Walker (52) in the jockeys' standings.