Blender ready for big run

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Both the Pick-9 and Super-6s start anew on tomorrow's 10-race programme at Caymanas Park, featuring the Howard Phillipps Trophy in memory of the late trainer who died tragically at Caymanas Park on February 7, 2004.

The Pick-9, which embraces races two to 10, offers the $1 million guaranteed minimum, while the first Super-6 will be conducted from race one to six, followed by the overlapping Super-6 which commences from the fifth race.

We look at the second Super-6 which kicks off with a restricted allowance race over the straight five course to be contested by eight native-bred three-year-olds. Indications are that the race will be decided among the trio of WINCHESTER, SARAGOSSA and the Gordon Lewis-trained BLENDER. It promises to be close, but the fleet-footed BLENDER, who runs with a mere 46.0kg for the services of 4.0kg claiming apprentice Conrad Ellis, looks tempting at the weights and thus gets the nod over SARAGOSSA, the mount of Dane Nelson.

Strong hand

Trainer Anthony 'Baba' Nunes, who conditions SARAGOSSA, holds a strong hand in the sixth race over 1500 metres for maiden three-year-olds with the pair of INVICTUS and THEPRIMEMERLIAN to be ridden by Shane Ellis and Nelson, respectively.

The race promises to be one of the more competitive on the card as others such as HIGH PRIEST, ORDEROFDISTINCTION and the DaCosta-trained MADURA GOLD (Walker up) are worthy opponents for top honours.

INVICTUS had MADURA GOLD behind in fourth when a fast-finishing second (beaten 1¹/⁴ lengths) to SIR SOUTH over 1400-metres on New Year's Day, and prior to that beat all barring ERASMO over 1600 metres in the Andrew H.B. Aguilar Memorial Cup on December 4.

Those performances make INVICTUS an appealing propo-sition, and with the trip just perfect, the son of Traditional should win from Lee Clarke's ORDER-OFDISTINCTION, who showed promise behind REGAL RUN on December 18, and HIGH PRIEST, who ran subsequent SVL 2-Y-O Stakes upsetter CONEY-ISLAND-INVADER close over the straight on December 18, are twin dangers.

Winning return expected

Briefly, the DaCosta-trained TRIAL LAWYER (working except-ionally well following a seven-month absence) should make a winning return in the seventh race over 1100 metres for the Howard Phillipps Memorial Trophy. Although INDY QUEEN has good claims, TRIAL LAWYER, who led for over 1200 metres in the Governor's Cup (Lotto Classic) when last raced on May 24 last year, could be used as a banker in the nine-strong field.

In the eighth race over 1200 metres for maiden four-year-olds, BUSY, having chased home ZIXX recently, gets the nod over LOVEJOY, while it should be the bold front runner HOMBRE over the vastly improved American colt, hat-trick seeker BURST OF ENERGY in the ninth race over 1820.

Then, close all bets with GALLAVANTER (knocking at the door) in the race No. 48 of the Alex's Imports Dig Out Handicap over 1400 metres, in which recent winner MR BUTCHER and ROLL THE DICE are twin dangers in a maximum field of 16.

SECOND SUPER-6 FANCIES

(5) BLENDER/SARAGOSSA

(6) INVICTUS/ ORDEROFDISTINCTION/ HIGH PRIEST

(7) TRIAL LAWYER

(8) BUSY/LOVEJOY

(9) HOMBRE/BURST OF ENERGY

(10) GALLAVANTER/MR BUTCHER/ROLL THE DICE