Sport

Bank on Pittacus

By JIMMIE, Star Racing Writer

PITTACUS, the 2003 Red Stripe Superstakes champion, who has not won another race in five outings since, has trainer Anthony Nunes wondering which horse will show up tomorrow afternoon at Caymanas Park in the 1300-metre Frankie Frazier Memorial.

Returning off an eight-month lay-up, the five-year-old gelding has been up to his usual tricks, setting the exercise track alight in the mornings. However, it is left to be seen whether PITTACUS has rid himself of the gate problem, which forced Nunes to turn him out for approximately five months.

"I have no idea if he has corrected that," Nunes told STAR Sports yesterday. "He hasn't raced in a while but he has been at the gate since.

"He has been working well but has always worked well and just wouldn't run on raceday. I am looking forward to see what he does because he is ultra-talented. I am just hoping it is the real PITTACUS that shows up," Nunes added.

Pitted against Glenville Morrisey's improved American-bred JUST SOME THOUGHTS, PITTACUS is actually down in class, slipping from Open to Overnight Allowance due to him having not won a race at a higher level since the Superstakes.

JUST SOME THOUGHTS caused jaws to drop last time out, winning at 1100 metres in a speedy 1:05.3, a time posted only by Stakes runners. However, the competition was highly questionable with SEATTLE'S GIRL finishing second and CHOO CHOO CHOO third.

Should PITTACUS reproduce his exercise form, JUST SOME THOUGHTS, who is up in class, could be in for a surprise.

PITTACUS, Nunes said, was in good health when turned out.

"No vet found anything wrong with him. We felt he was sour because he ran three or four races that were dismal. We just gave him a mental rest on the farm. He was out of training for at least five months and came back in December but I took a long, slow approach to preparing him.

"I've gone back to basics with him, no lasix, no tongue-tie. It's like I am training him all over again," Nunes pointed out last Sunday morning PITTACUS galloped five and a half furlongs in 1:06.2. If the lay-up has done him any good and he breaks cleanly, the pacey gelding will outclass rivals.

Jackpots at $1.75m

GIRL IN GOLD at 15-1, SEEMELATER at 18-1 and GENERAL VERRAZANO at 9-1 in the nightpan stumped Pick-9 bettors Wednesday, resulting in a $1,253,968.80 carryover to tomorrow's programme. The Super-Six was nabbed and will start anew at $500,000 from the sixth race.

Pick-9 bettors can bank on GILNOCK in the third and SHOW N' TELL in the fifth whereas Super-Six players should look to AD INFINITUM in the seventh as a sure thing to get their bets rolling.

Track Price Plus Pick-6 bettors should make good use of FORMALLY GOLD in the first and MISS CHESTNUT in the second.