D-Day for DaCosta, Nunes?

Ravaged  by Wayne DaCosta's determined comeback, capped by a well-crafted five-timer on Saturday, which pushed the champion $1.47m clear in the trainers' title race, Anthony Nunes' hopes of winning his first crown now depend on how much purse money he can scrape out of this afternoon's $4m Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes.

DaCosta, who lost the advantage on December 1 when SHE'S A MANEATER bolted at the gate and failed to defend her Diamond Mile title, worth $6m, started the weekend trailing Nunes by $127,700.

However, the reigning 17-time champion turned on the thrills Saturday, dominating the 11-race card with five winners to overtake and shoot $1.47m clear of Nunes with two race days remaining in their gripping battle for the trainers' championship.

Nunes' four Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes runners - CORAZON, EARN YOUR STRIPES, SUPREME SOUL and UNIVERSAL BOSS - are one of the most potent hands a single trainer has ever held in the event, a possible $3m payout from the $4m race.

DaCosta, however, has a down-in-class pair on the 11-race holiday card, STORM and JAMAICAN CITIZEN, along with stable star SHE'S A MANEATER as a three-timer, which could push the championship to Saturday, the last race meet of the season.

Nunes, meanwhile, is banking on his Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes quartet to regain the lead, along with BIGDADDYKOOL in the Miracle Man Cup, facing old rival SHE'S A MANEATER at nine furlongs and 25 yards.

TOP CONTENDERS

His unbeaten filly, CORAZON, was the winter-book favourite for the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes after strolling to victory in the Pick-3 Super Challenge on November 24. However, in a two-week span, December 1-15, her stablemates emerged as top contenders - EARN YOUR STRIPES, SUPREME SOUL and UNIVERSAL BOSS.

Nunes' go-to rider, Panamanian Dick Cardenas, who has waved the white flag in the jockeys' title race against local lad Anthony Thomas, has opted to partner EARN YOUR STRIPES, a strong indication of who he believes to be the best of the four.

Similarly, of DaCosta's pair, Omar Walker has decided to stick with RUN THATCHER RUN, a Fearless Vision half-brother to the illustrious SHE'S A MANEATER and WITHOUT EXCEPTION, who won the Invitational Mile on Superstakes Day.

Ironically, EARN YOUR STRIPES was beaten on debut by RUN THATCHER RUN in a five-and-a-half furlong sprint on December 1. However, it was clear that the Nuclear Wayne-Brown Sugar colt wanted a more relaxed pace and raced awkwardly, eventually finishing third, whereas RUN THATCHER RUN was fluent throughout.

When he returned at seven furlongs a week later, EARN YOUR STRIPES won by a dozen lengths, clocking 1:25.3, franking the form which saw him beat grade-one stablemate BIGDADDYKOOL at exercise prior to his debut.

If the race was to be won on breeding, Nunes' SUPREME SOUL, a Soul Warrior half-brother to BIGDADDYKOOL, who made a mile look rather easy when brushing aside DaCosta's EL GRINGO in the Andrew HB Aguilar, could be declared the winner.

However, EARN YOUR STRIPES' 1:25.3 for seven furlongs, behind splits of 23.2, 45.4 and 1:11.0, makes him hard to oppose at a mile, backed up by his glowing exercise form against BIGDADDYKOOL, one of the country's top stayers.