Beautiful Space captures Master Blaster feature

Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer

BEAUTIFUL SPACE, running at odds of 9-1 for owner-trainer Patrick Smellie, yesterday landed the 1000-metre straight Master Blaster Trophy, outbattling 3-1 choice MEELO in a driving finish at Caymanas Park.

Partnered by the sparingly used but efficient Devon A. Thomas, BEAUTIFUL SPACE raced prominently from the start, disputing the lead with RISK REWARDS and MEELO on the stands' side.

The four-year-old filly grabbed the lead a furlong and a half out when RISK REWARDS wilted but had to be shaken up by Thomas to turn back MEELO on her inside with Panamanian jockey Dick Cardenas astride.

BEAUTIFUL SPACE was clearly better than the field of non-winners-of-four, even though she had finished down the track among the group on April 24, beaten seven and three quarter lengths by SHE'S MAGIC at 1200 metres.

Her upset was one of three on the nine-race card which saw one big winner of the Super-6 - a fortunate punter pocketing $4.29m despite also having to contend with HYPOCRITE and GRACE MARIE, winners of the fifth and sixth races, both at odds of 8-1.

However, the tougher Pick-9 once again proved elusive, jumping to a guaranteed $5.55m for Wednesday's racemeet. No punter was good enough to come up with all nine winners with eight-of-nine picking up $190,301.

First of two winners

The Clifford Stewart Memorial co-feature provided trainer Welsh Soutar, owner Oneil 'Sweety Man' Markland and claiming apprentice Richard Halledeen with the first of two winners for the owner-trainer-jockey combination.

The trio opened their double in the Clifford Stewart Memorial, a $250,000 claiming event, with down-in-class American-bred PASSA PASSA at 1200 metres.

The eight-year-old gelding, partnered by claiming apprentice Richard Halledeen, stayed on strongly inside the final half-furlong to beat RAJPUT at odds of 5-2.

Soutar's stable struck again in the fourth when Halledeen steered home the favourite CLASSICAL BULLET in the fourth event at 1000 metres straight.

Halledeen was one of three jockeys booting home two-timers. Trevor Simpson and Dane Nelson also visited the winners' enclosure twice.

Simpson opened the programme with a gate-to-wire victory astride NO RUMOUR for trainer Gary Griffiths at 1000 metres round and returned to land the seventh at 2000 metres round with 5-2 choice ASANTEWA, upsetting the favourite OVATION.

Nelson opened his account with down-in-class THE BOMBER, running as the favourite in the third at 1800 metres. However, he crushed the hopes of many Super-6 and Pick-9 players when he booted home GRACE MARIE at odds of 8-1 in the sixth, breaking the back of many bets following HYPOCRITE's victory at similar odds in the previous race.

In addition to a $5.5m Pick-9 carryover to Wednesday's racemeet, punters will also be gunning to bag a Hi-Five carryover from yesterday's ninth event - $312,347.50.