BY JIMMIE, Star Racing Writer
Left: Champion jockey Trevor Simpson - FILE. Right: Leading rider Brian Harding adjusts his helmet straps after his victory aboard PRINCESS SONIA in Wednesday's eighth race at Caymanas Park. It was Harding's 97th win of the year. Champion jockey Trevor Simpson is in second place on 95 wins. - CARLINGTON WILMOT
CAYMANAS PARK and its off-track betting parlours were set alight on Wednesday by jockey Trevor Simpson, who reeled off a hat-trick of winners to join Brian Harding.
However, Harding brought down the house with CHING SING in the seventh race, beating his rival aboard ROYAL KINGDOM by a nose before winning the following event with PRINCESS SONIA to maintain a two-win lead over Simpson.
Simpson's supporters were silenced by Harding, who outfinished the champion jockey in a thrilling stretch duel, getting CHING SING to rally along the rail, prevailing by the bob of a head.
It should get worse for the champion jockey tomorrow afternoon as Harding should win no less than five events on the 13-race card - THE MINISTER in the third, CRUISING ALTITUDE in the sixth, SOY MUJER in the ninth, SIR MOHANDAS BABA in the 11th and LA REINA in the night cap.
Simpson's best should be a double, WILD SIDE in the second and TUTOR in the 10th, both races at 1000 metres straight.
THE MINISTER, finding things sticky among Overnight Allowance company, has slipped down in class to face high level claiming company at 1200 metres. The five-year-old horse has been far from disgraced in his races, even finishing less than nine lengths third behind A KING IS BORN in the Red Stripe Caribbean Sprint with 57.0 kilos.
JACKPOTS AT $2.3M
LADY ISIS at 10-1 and PROPOINT at 5-1 in the final two races sent Pick-9 bets reeling on Wednesday, pushing the carryover to $1.88m. The Super-6 was again nabbed, yielding four winning combinations each worth $192,083.50.
Tomorrow's card is awash with bankers, starting at the very first Pick-9 event, the 1100-metre fifth race, in which MITAKA shouldn't be opposed after his big second behind RAMPAGE in the Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy.
CRUISING ALTITUDE has been travelling with stablemate AD INFINITUM in the mornings and cannot be opposed under Harding in the sixth at a mile.
Harding should also boot home SOY MUJER in the ninth at 1820 metres after finding back-to-form HAIL THE I too tough at nine furlongs last time out.
SIR MOHANDAS BABA has been patched up by his connections and should land a quick double in the 11th at 2000 metres among $160,000 claimers after sweeping past rivals at 1400 metres last time out.
LA REINA is too classy to be opposed in the night cap at 1000 metres straight after posting 58.1 at the distance a month ago and should put an end to TIME OF MY LIFE's four-race win streak at the distance.
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