Seven declared for RJR St Leger

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Having won the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, MARK MY WORD has a date with destiny at Caymanas Park on Saturday when he faces six opponents in the season's final classic, the RJR Jamaica St Leger over 2000 metres.

The classy three-year-old colt by Market Rally out of Miss Chestnut is in line to become the 10th Triple Crown winner at Caymanas Park and the 16th since MONCLARE won the first Triple Crown series in 1924 at Knutsford Park.

Trained by Richard Azan for leading owners Elite Bloodstock Limited, MARK MY WORD, to again be ridden by the Panamanian Dick Cardenas, is by far the season's leading campaigner with $7.3 million and should increase his bankroll substantially by winning the 84th running of the St Leger, which offers a total purse of $3.9 million.

Race of champions

MARK MY WORD will once again clash with the Lotto Classic (Governor's Cup) winner and Derby runner-up, LIFEISJUSFORLIVING, to again be ridden by champion jockey Omar Walker for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, as well as the Derby third-place finisher, GLOBAL WARMING (Richard Mitchell), PRINCE ROHAN (Aaron Chatrie), HEARTOFACHAMPION (Joe Buchanan), WILLINSTON (André Martin) and the recent back-to-back winner, CLASSY PROSPECT (Shane Ellis).

Trainer DaCosta will mount a two-pronged challenge with LIFEISJUSFORLIVING and the very fit CLASSY PROSPECT, but MARK MY WORD is such an exceptional three-year-old that neither should pose a serious threat in the stretch drive.

He beat the free-running LIFEISJUSFORLIVING by 4 3/4 lengths into second place in the April 5 2000 Guineas over 1600 metres. And when they met again in the LIME Derby over 2400 metres, MARK MY WORD increased the margin to 8 1/2 lengths.

An odds-on favourite

Traiuer Azan, who is never one to speak in glowing terms of MARK MY WORD before his races, was only prepared to say that the horse came out of the Derby "in good nick and has done everything asked of him since".

Track and Pools has quoted MARK MY WORD an odds-on favourite at 2-5 to win the St Leger, with LIFEISJUSFORLIVING a clear second favourite at 3-1.

Significantly, the St Leger will be sponsored by the RJR Communi-cations Group for the third con-secutive year and according to the Group's director of marketing, Gary Cole, "it would be most fitting to see RJR being associated with yet another Triple Crown winner in this its 60th anniversary year, following ALSAFRA in 2008".

The RJR Communications Group has joined hands with Caymanas Track Limited and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission for St Leger Day, as the 10 finalists in the Claro-sponsored Festival Song competition will perform at Caymanas Park on Saturday.