Sport

Kamir to outclass 'em

By JIMMIE, STAR Racing Writer

RICHARD Azan's KAMIR, the 2000 Guineas favourite, will be conceding weight all around tomorrow afternoon in the 1400-metre Prince Consort Stakes. However, the bay colt is so classy that it will hardly matter when he lines up against nine rivals including Wayne DaCosta's NATURAL DESIRE.

After going all the way at a mile in the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes on Boxing Day, KAMIR returns with topweight 57.0 kilos, pitted Wayne DaCosta's NATURAL DESIRE, who will carry 53.5 kilos with champion jockey Trevor Simpson aboard.

Beaten by almost 10 lengths when finishing fourth behind KAMIR at level weights in the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes, NATURAL DESIRE returned to post a super time, 1:32.2, at 1500 metres a month later. The late-kicking colt has also been training well but will have to improve by leaps and bounds to turn the table on KAMIR, who is expected to make all under Winston Griffiths.

Tuning up for his seasonal debut, KAMIR, who has only been beaten once in six starts, blazed 57.2 from the gate for 1000 metres straight last week Tuesday morning, a clear warning shot to all comers in the Prince Consort Stakes.

DaCosta should get some measure of revenge in the Thornbird Stakes with his SI MI TRIAL expected to get the better of Feanny's VICTORIA, who turned in a commanding performance when winning at 1300 metres last Saturday.

Treated with lasix for the first time, VICTORIA blinded CHARRITO with speed from gate to wire at 1300 metres, winning in a fast 1:19.1 by all of 13 lengths. Brian Harding will be aboard the filly, who had lost her previous race, finishing third behind SI MI TRIAL at 1200 metres in an ordinary 1:14.4.

However, SI MI TRIAL looked awesome at exercise Sunday morning when putting away a colt, stablemate NATURAL DESIRE in a 1100-metre spin, clocking a solid 1:06.1 behind a five-furlong split of 1:00.0. Charles Hussey will ride the speedy filly, who is unbeaten in two starts but has never gone beyond 1200 metres.

Jackpots at $1.5m

There were no real shockers on last Saturday's card, resulting in both the Pick-9 and Super-Six being caught. All of 14 winning tickets each picked up $110,324 in the Pick-9. DaCosta has two other winners on the card, FORMALLY GOLD and the debutant I AM NOT ORDINARY, both of whom should be used as solid bankers for the Super-Six guarantee of $500,000 and Pick-9 jackpot of $1m.

FORMALLY GOLD's fast-finishing second behind LIL' COUNTRY BOY at 1200 metres will make the American-bred filly a tough nut to crack at 1500 metres in the fifth and I AM NOT ORDINARY has been drilled from the gate to reproduce her dam's speed at the distance.

Bred ALISIOS out of speedy EXCEPTIONAL TYPE, I AM NOT ORDINARY stopped watches in 1:01.0, behind a half-mile split of 46.4, Monday morning.

Track Price Plus Pick-6 bettors should round off those bets with EASTERN LIGHT , who should go one better in the seventh and the American-bred debutant, MISS CHESTNUT, in the eighth at 1200 metres.

MISS CHESTNUT beat stablemate CAPTAIN BONE at exercise last week Friday in a half-mil gallop and breezed an easy 1:01.2 from the gate last Tuesday morning.