BY JIMMIE, Star Racing Writer
DETHRONED CHAMPION JOCKEY Trevor Simpson has four winners lined-up on tomorrow's 10-race card, including a double for trainer Anthony Nunes.
Sitting on eight winners, two off leading riders Dane Nelson, Charles Hussey and Wesley Henry, Simpson should start his assault with THE BARBARIAN and OLE KING COLE in the third and fourth races respectively.
The five-time champion rider should return further down the programme to boot home SWEET JADE in the eighth race and Nunes' stayer, TWEEDSIDE, in the ninth at 1800 metres.
THE BARBARIAN, from the in-form barn of Robert Darby Sr., has won four of his last six starts and hasn't been worse than third since last July.
Darby has done well with the nine-year-old sprinter, winning two of four races since claiming him mid-December and must be bubbling with confidence after watching the veteran racer turn back three-year-olds QUEEN AIR and RAGING STORM at 1000 metres straight three Saturdays ago.
American-bred CANDY UPSTAIRS, who closed fast into second behind DANCING SAM at 1000 metres round on January 7, will try reeling in THE BARBARIAN, who has not won beyond 1100 metres in recent times.
However, Darby's runner showed grit when he was narrowly beaten by MORGAN'S RENEGADE at 1400 metres prior to his last win and will have to be caught on the lead going a furlong shorter.
JACKPOTS AT $1.5M
There were no real terrors on Wednesday's nine-race card, which yielded eight winning Pick-9 combinations each worth a little over $500,000. The Super-6 was also gobbled up, five winning combinations each reaping $142,000 plus.
Simpson's four-timer falls within the Pick-9 window and his fans shouldn't hesitate to bank on OLE KING COLE at 1000 metres straight to upstage the $2m colt, CLASSY BOY PETE, who bled and placed fourth on debut but returns treated with lasix and fitted with a blinker.
OLE KING COLE has worked well, 1:00.3 from the gate. CLASSY BOY PETE was clocked in an easy 1:020.2 two mornings later but hasn't really impressed and looked awfully green when darting to his right from the gate on debut.
SWEET JADE, aboard whom Simpson scored back-to-back wins in November, will prefer the more relaxed pace of 1200 metres in the eighth after placing eighth at 1000 metres straight behind RAZZAK a month ago.
Speedy FUTZ will try making all in a bid to score back-to-back wins but the additional furlong should prove his undoing, setting it up for SWEET JADE to tag him up the lane.
TWEEDSIDE will be closing fastest of all at 1800 metres and should sweep past rivals to land the ninth.
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