Pick-9 to hit $20m

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

With a massive Pick-9 payout on the horizon, tomorrow's race meet at Caymanas Park takes on added significance.

Thanks to a whopping $17.5 million carryover from Wednesday, the mushrooming Pick-9, which has eluded punters for the past 11 racedays, is poised to top the $20 million mark.

The rush on the betting windows should intensify from before the first race at 12:25 p.m. as punters near and far dig deep into their pockets for the start of the Pick-9 in the second at 1 p.m.

The Pick-9 embraces races two to 10, the Super-6 from five to 10. We look at the Pick-9 which gets under way in the second race over 1820 metres (non-winners of two) with a potential banker in the Wayne DaCosta-trained CLASSY COMPANY, the mount of champion jockey Omar Walker.

The free-running filly, who chased home ALLORA over 1600 metres recently, towers over her five opponents in this small field and should lead home LADY GORAKHPUR, who was 12 lengths third in the same race won by ALLORA.

Special race

Next on the programme is a 4-y-o and up maiden special race over 1100 metres in which SPONGY SPONGY looks hard to oppose in a very moderate field of six. The 4-y-o grey colt finished a good third to BAY HARBOUR over 1400 metres on May 12 after leading into the straight, and given this reduced trip, should win from MR BIGSHOT and ROSE OF SHARON, both of whom were behind him on last.

CLASSY PROSPECT, who was fourth to MARK MY WORD in the 2000 Guineas in April but missed the recent Lotto Classic, reverts to sprinting in the fourth race and, having worked well, the DaCosta-trained 3-y-o gelding (Walker up) should resume winning ways.

The bay gelding by Saint Appeal out of the 1999 Derby winner Good Prospect has most to fear from the sparingly raced filly RED SONJA (working well) who loves to sprint and has been programmed for this race.

Briefly, THAT'S MY MARKET is confidently expected to complete a hat-trick of course wins in the fifth race ($180,000 claiming) for the Drumbeat Trophy over the straight-five course, as he's clearly much better than this level. Having beaten nearly all of his eight opponents in recent weeks, he should lead home old rivals POWER GLITZ and MISTER OFFICER.

I also like the DaCosta-trained MR SPEED (Walker out) to topple his six opponents in the sixth race again over the straight, having been thrown in for a tag (claiming $350,000) by his trainer. NASATOL, a winner of five races so far this season, and the speedy BIG MAN are twin dangers.

ADDI ADDI, owned and trained by Deputy Mayor of Kingston Lee Clarke, gets the nod over MYRTLE WAY and FREEDOM PRINCE in the knotty-looking seventh race over 1700 metres, which should be approached with caution. The same is true of the eighth where PRINCESS AMOYA (Walker up) is preferred to REDEMPTION SONG and GRAND ELANI, while MAGDALA and OVATION should win the last two races.

PICK-9 FANCIES

(2) CLASSY COMPANY

(3) SPONGY SPONGY

(4) CLASSY PROSPECT/RED SONJA

(5) THAT'S MY MARKET

(6) MR SPEED/NASATOL

(7) ADDI ADDI/MYRTLE WAY

(8) PRINCESS AMOYA/GRAND ELANI

(9) MAGDALA/LIGHT MY FIRE

(10) OVATION