CTL to laud five women

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Five women will be honoured by the promoters at Caymanas Park today for their sterling contribution to local racing in various capacities for 30 to 40 years.

They are Yvonne Mattis, wife of seven-time champion trainer Kenneth Mattis; Joy Hunt, who served as a steward of the Jamaica Racing Commission for many years; Cynthia March, who recently turned 90 and even today is still closely associated with local racing as a member of the Jockey Club; as well as Barbara Hewitt and Fay Armond, both of whom combined have close to 80 years service to the promoting company.

All will be publicly recognised by Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) with trophy races in their honour.

Today's nine-race programme marks the first leg of the Super Weekend of Racing, which continues tomorrow with the 32nd running of the CTL Superstakes (invitational) over 2000 metres with a purse of $5 million.

Feature event on the card is the annual renewal of the Abbie Grannum Memorial Cup to be contested by 15 maiden two-year-olds over 1400 metres.

The super weekend will climax on Sunday with the annual TOBA yearling sale to be held in the official car park at Caymanas, starting at 9 a.m. More than 250 lots are being offered.

The Abbie Grannum Memorial Cup should see LUSCIOUS, SABU, WAR HERO, INVICTUS and BEARS AND BULLS in contention when they swing into the straight.

After weighing the pros and cons, I am convinced that LUSCIOUS will win, following that close second to her more fancied stable-companion PENTHOUSE SWEET over 1200 metres on October 9.

Out for the second time and racing on Lasix for the first time that day, LUSCIOUS, with Georgina Sergeon aboard, turned in a vastly improved performance to finish 1^1/4 lengths second to the American filly PENTHOUSE SWEET.

Ran well

LUSCIOUS was weak in the market (33-1) on that occasion, but ran surprisingly well to finish on the heels of the favourite PENTHOUSE SWEET. She stayed on strongly from below the distance and will surely relish the additional 200 metres of this race.

With stable-jockey Walker replacing Georgina, the hint should be taken. Having looked sharp at exercise, the dark bay filly by Storm Craft out of Royal Pizzaz gets the nod over SABU, who was a fast-finishing second to JUSTIN ON FIRE in Division II of the Hi-Pro Stables Choice Feeds Trophy over 1300 metres on October 18, after stumbling at the start.

Other firm fancies on the card are TRICKY TRAIN to repeat in the first race, DIXIE CHICK to stave off old rival OUR DEELITE in the second over 1100 metres, THE CHIEF to hold GAMBOA and TOP COMMANDER at bay over the straight in the fifth race for overnight allowance horses, COBRA in the sixth and down-in-class LATIN KING to romp the closing race over 1400 metres at the expense of QUIET KNIGHT and ROLL THE DICE.