Running Loose is a firm banker

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

The second Super-6 (overlapping) on today's Caymanas Park Gold Cup Day 11-race programme boasts a Super-6 carryover of $1.25 million, ensuring a payout in excess of $2 million tomorrow.

This is a carryover from the second Super-6 last Saturday, which saw CITY TRAIN creating a huge upset at 73-1 in the nightpan.

The first Super-6 will embrace races one to six, the second from six to 11.

We look at the second Super-6 which gets under way with a three-year-old maiden condition race over the straight-five course to be contested by 11 starters. The horses to note are CENTEYA, to be ridden by champion jockey Omar Walker once again, the lightly raced SPLITTING IMAGE.

CENTEYA has finished second in her last two races over the straight, the more recent on November 6 when chasing home BISCAYNE STAR (a repeat winner) over the course, finishing five lengths second in a sub-minute time, heads on with the third horse SPLITTING IMAGE in third, It will more than likely come down to these two, but the Norman Palmer-trained SPLITTING IMAGE seemingly has more scope for improvement and thus gets the nod.

Next on the programme (7th race) is a 3-y-o up overnight allowance race over 2000 metres for the Jamaica Racehorse Owners' Association Trophy in which nine have been declared.

The field includes the recent winners COUGWAY, BULLET LINE and SIR JAADU BABA, all of whom will get the distance. Still, the two most likely to fight it out are the late-kicking pair of SLEDGE and RUNNING LOOSE, sixth and 14th, respectively, to Triple Crown winner MARK MY WORD in the November 13 Superstakes over the distance.

RUNNING LOOSE came back with a big run in defeat, failing by a length to catch WILD GLITZ over 1600 metres on November 20, and now pretty light with in-form apprentice Georgina Sergeon aboard, gets the nod over SLEDGE.

IL CAIMANO, having chased home the out-of-class RULE BY SECRECY in the Alty McKenzie Memorial Trophy (claiming $350,000) over 1600 metres on November 3, is tipped to go one better with Walker aboard in the eighth race, again over a mile.

Keen contest

Race nine, the Andrew H.B. Aguilar Memorial Cup over 1600 metres for native-bred three-year-olds, should provide a keen contest among WAR HERO, ERASMO, STORM WATCH and the late-kicking INVICTUS, who gets the ideal trip on this occasion. WAR HERO, who was caught close home by LUSCIOUS in the Abbie Grannum Memorial Cup over 1400 metres recently, has less to contend with here and should make amends given a more patient ride from Richie Mitchell.

Champion sprinter SAINT CECELIA represents the lone speed in the 10th race, the 39th running of the Pepsi Gold Cup, and despite topweight of 60.5kg, should whip her four opponents and win this popular handicap race for the second straight year. Then take the progressive filly HERROYALHIGHNESS to beat GLOBAL WARMING and the well-prepared EXCELLENCE in the knotty 1400-metre race for native-bred three-year-olds (non-winners of three), closing race on the card.

SECOND SUPER-6(6) SPLITTING IMAGE/CENTEYA(7) RUNNING LOOSE(8) IL CAIMANO/FLAWLESS TALENT(9) WAR HERO/INVICTUS(10) SAINT CECELIA(11) HERROYALHIGHNESS/EXCELLENCE