Fluffy, Shanghai Pass set for battle royal

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Old rivals FLUFFY and SHANGHAI PASS, both American-bred horses, should have a battle royal for top honours in the open allowance feature over 1600 metres, to be contested by eight starters at Caymanas Park today.

With no trophy races on the 11-race programme, this event moves into the spotlight as the feature, it being the most valuable on the card.

The two American-bred horses should not only carry the bulk of the betting, but should have the finish to themselves, despite the presence of the 2008 Superstakes winner AD INFINITUM, as well as 2007 Derby winner THE BOMBER and also WILD GLITZ, who scored a huge upset over the distance last Saturday and is up in class today.

When both horses last met over 1300 metres on May 12, the Wayne DaCosta-trained 3-y-o filly FLUFFY beat the consistent SHANGHAI PASS by 1 ¹/_² lengths into second place and at the revised weights it will be closer.

The Gary Subratie-trained SHANGHAI PASS subsequently finished a strong second to his impressive stable companion, RONRON, in the fast-run Hall of Fame Stakes Trophy over 1200 metres, a race in which he lost nothing in defeat.

He enjoys a 5.0kg swing with FLUFFY today and while this is sufficient to turn the tables, preference is for FLUFFY, who bids for her fourth consecutive win.

She has been improving by leaps and bounds, still has tremendous scope and having looked razor sharp at exercise, ought to be followed.

'The chief the one to beat

Elsewhere on the 11-race programme, THE CHIEF looks the one to beat in the overnight allowance sprint, following his good second to the out-of-class COMMANDER ZERO in a fast-run 1200-metre race on June 19.

THE CHIEF led at a merry clip until giving way to COMMANDER ZERO a furlong out, but held on well for second in that 1200-metre race. In the process, he had several of today's opponents behind, including MACHISMO, who was just behind in third, RIVER STYX, NATURALLY ROYAL and TRIPLE ACCOUNT.

MACHISMO, who was running on that day, could make it close despite the shorter distance, but the DaCosta-trained DIABOLICAL KID, a speedy American horse with Walker aboard, and WORKJNG IMAGE, seem bigger dangers to THE CHIEF in this sharp sprint.

Other firm fancies on the card are BIG DIVA to stave off old rival THE VALIDICTORIAN in the first race over 1600 metres; the DaCosta-trained filly EXCElLENCE to upstage SUPER CENTRE in the second race over 1820 metres; FLAWLESS TALENT to upstage

CASHLEY in the fifth; FLAGAMAN in the sixth; MERIT'S BRITE LITE in the ninth race for maiden three-year-olds; and CHRISTMAS TREAT ahead of BDELLIUM in the closing Alex Import's 'Dig Out' handicap over 1400 metres.