Jimmie, Star Racing Writer

FACED with the task of having to keep both his stable riders contented, champion trainer Wayne DaCosta appears to be spreading rides between his home-grown apprentice and leading rider, Omar Walker, as well as Dane Nelson, who has been paying his dues at the top barn for quite some time.

Walker, who leads Trevor Simpson by 12 wins in the race for the 2007 riders' title, has eight mounts on tomorrow's programme, including three for DaCosta.

However, Nelson, who will be aboard four DaCosta-trained horses on the 10-race card, appears to have got the better rides from the leading barn and looks set to rack a three-timer.

Nelson, whose 32 winners represent no threat to Walker on 73 and Simpson 61, should open the programme with AITCHEMESBEAGLE at 1820 metres before closing his three-timer with BADJEROS ROSE in the 1000-metre straight event, for the Grooms' Association Trophy, as well as the Merry Deal Cup with BULLET TRAIN, going the same distance 30 minutes later.

AITCHEMESBEAGLE, who scored by a neck in a battling Overnight Allowance victory over PECKUS OUT on October 15, returns to 1820 metres but has been put up for sale on a $420,000 claiming tag.

Indications at exercise suggest AITCHEMESBEAGLE is sound and well, six furlongs in 1:14.3 last Sunday morning. Therefore, it can only be summarised that the top trainer advised his owner it would be best to pick off a high-level claiming purse instead of making up numbers, for six months, against much better horses at the Open Allowance level, before being eligible for another Overnight Allowance race.

Nelson should round off his three-timer with back-to-back wins aboard BADJEROS ROSE and BULLET TRAIN in the day's co-features.

The word was out, from as early as Wednesday when he stormed home fourth, by three and a quarter-length, behind TRIPLE ACCOUNT, FIRETRAIN and NUMERO UNO, that BADJEROS ROSE was being primed for tomorrow's race.

The six-year-old Canadian-bred mare won her previous race at 1000 metres straight, on a similar $315,000 tag, and should easily add to DaCosta's tally in his battle for the championship with Philip Feanny.

BULLET TRAIN's brave second-place run behind the killer filly, OUTSTANDING, when reporting off a five-month lay-up, makes him the horse to beat in the ninth.

Jackpots at $1.8 million

Upsetters, too numerous to list, bowled over even Super-6 bettors on Wednesday, more so those chancing the tougher Pick-9, which paid out a little over $48,000 on six of nine winners.

With the Pick-9 at its $1 million guarantee and the Super-6 at $841,243, one should look to the top riders, Walker and Simpson, for clues.

Walker looks set to land the second event with TOKEN whereas Simpson's best ride of the day is JADORE in the fourth. However, Walker, for the second straight raceday, is tipped to get the better of his challenger by winning the fifth aboard back-to-form SEEMELATER.

Kirk Johnson, who is on winter break from Assiniboia Downs in Canada, should get his first taste of local success by booting home a double for trainer Anthony Nunes, FELICIDAD in the third and IT IS I in the sixth.