Sport

Stick with Simpson

By JIMMIE, Star Racing Writer

HAVING DOUBLED HIS lead over Brian Harding with a three-timer last weekend, champion jockey Trevor Simpson looks set to move further away from the Trinidadian rider tomorrow afternoon.

Simpson, who is on 60 winners, four clear of Harding in the jockeys' standings at Caymanas Park, has at least another three-timer lined-up on the 11-race card - DORALDO in the third at 1400 metres, MAMA'S GIRL at a mile in the seventh and KAMIR at 1300 metres in the 10th.

Harding has a handful of rides on the card including ESTOY LISTO in the third and EPICTATUS in the fifth, both for trainer Anthony Nunes. However, ESTOY LISTO has DORALDO to contend with and EPICTATUS will have to be at his best to stave off Wayne DaCosta's NASATOL hunting a hat-trick of wins.

Simpson should score another win aboard DORALDO after booting home the American-bred three-year-old a month ago at 1500 metres. Sent off as a 3-5 favourite last time out, the Richard Azan-trained colt covered 1500 metres in a decent 1:33.2, comfortably beating MY SON and DIGGY N' JIGGY.

Since then, Azan's runner has looked really sharp in the mornings, keeping pace with speedy local-bred stablemate KAMIR in five-furlong spins.

ESTOY LISTO's preparation hasn't been as glitzy, beating Robert Taylor's PADDY'S STORM by about two lengths last Sunday morning. In addition, the three-year-old local-bred colt flopped badly behind DEARDREAMER a month ago and will have to turn around his form to have any chance against DORALDO.

Simpson should also unsaddle MAMA'S GIRL in the winners' enclosure for trainer Donovan Raymond. The fit five-year-old mare failed to click at a distance short of her best late last month when pitted against CANTA LIBRE and TUSCAN SUN at 1000 metres round.

However, note how well she ran in her two previous races, going longer distances at the same level. MAMA'S GIRL found an improved MARVELOUS MINI-STER too hot to handle at 1300 metres on August 24 and lost second at the wire to APACHE BRAVE. In her previous race, she was caught stealing home at 1500 metres by in-form COUNCIL MAN.

JACKPOTS AT $1.7M

Punters will start hunting $1.7m worth of jackpots from as early as tomorrow's third race where the Pick-9 opens at its guaranteed $1m. There's a Hi-Five carryover to the fourth race worth $188,237 and the Super-6 opens at the sixth with a carryover of $519,291.

Track Price Plus Pick-6 players can round off what should be winning bets with BANKER'S BULLION in the second, ABUELO in the ninth and CORDITE in the 11th for the 1400-metre Harry Rigg Memorial.

The American debutant BANKER'S BULLION put away LOCHNESS DRAGON at exercise Sunday morning, clocking 1:15.3 for six furlongs.

After finding only VISCOSITY too good at 1000 metres straight last time out, ABUELO could be rounding into form and should be followed at 1100 metres. Close all bets with CORDITE, who has slipped down in class after finishing only four lengths off third-place AD INFINITUM, who was beaten by SHOW N' TELL and KAMIR in the same race.