Sport

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

With last Saturday's race meet producing a number of upsets ensuring a Pick-9 carryover of $9.2 million, a payout in excess of $12 million looks a real possibility at Caymanas Park tomorrow.

All nine races on the card will embrace the Pick-9, hence the activity associated with this popular exotic bet should get under way an hour or so before the first race at 1:20 p.m.

The Pick-9 has eluded punters for the past eight racedays, but is still a long way off the record payout of $46.9 million in July 2008.

There is also a Super-6 carryover of $1.3 million and this should ensure a payout in excess of $3 million. We look at the Super-6 which gets under way in the fourth race for the Percy Martin Memorial Cup 3-y-o maiden special over the straight five course.

Ten starters have been declared, including leading lights LA CHAISE, EVER BLESSED, RUSSIAN COMMANDER and the well-forward debutante J.R's DREAM from the stables of Dwight Chen. J.R's DREAM has been showing good speed at exercise and should be in the thick of things throughout, but preference is for RUSSIAN COMMANDER who failed by half a length to catch NAKISAKI in a highly competitive straight five race on May 8.

Now better for the experience and back over the straight, the Carl Anderson-trained RUSSIAN COMMANDER should go one better with competent claiming apprentice Jevvanne Erwin again in the saddle.

Failed narrowly

In the fifth race over 1200 metres, also for maiden three-year-olds, REGIONAL CHARMER also falls into the same company as RUSSIAN COMMANDER, having failed narrowly to catch ODIN over 1300 metres on May 1.

In that race, the Wayne DaCosta-trained REGIONAL CHARMER got up in time to beat long-time leader UNSUNG HERO by a neck for second and this one looms a big danger, while COBRA and CLASS ACT have shown the necessary ability to figure seriously in the 11-horse field.

BIG MAN, a beaten favourite behind ALEXANDRA'S SPIRIT over the straight some weeks ago, should benefit from the recent change of stables and stronger handling of Trevor Simpson in the sixth race for high claimers again over the straight. The speedy 4-y-o gelding gets the nod over the course specialist RANKING and the very fit ORION under champion jockey Omar Walker.

Veteran campaigner NASATOL, a runaway winner over the straight on April 21, is tipped to win his fifth race this season when he faces seven opponents over the straight in race seven. His twin dangers are BULLET TRAIN, now pretty light, and LITTLEREDCORVETTE.

The eighth race over 1820 metres (open allowance) should provide keen competition among the eight starters, but it will more than likely come down to the trio of HEART OF GOLD, last year's Superstakes winner HOMBRE and the classy three-year-old colt MARK MY WORD, impressive winner of the April 5 2000 Guineas over a mile.

Strictly at the weights, the DaCosta-trained HEART OF GOLD with a mere 49.0kg and former champion Wesley Henry aboard, is preferred to the bold front runner HOMBRE, now eased in the weights.

The closing Alex's Imports Dig Out Handicap over 1400 metres for bottom of the barrel claimers should see MOON DANCER upstaging both EARTHWINDANDFIRE and THE SMOKER.

SUPER-6 FANCIES

(4) RUSSIAN COMMANDER/ JR's DREAM

(5 REGIONAL CHARMER/ UNSUNG HERO

(6) BIG MAN/RANKING

(7) NASATOL/BULLET TRAIN

(8) HEART OF GOLD/HOMBRE

(9) MOON DANCER/EARTHWINDANDFIRE