Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

PECKUS OUT, one of four winners for title-chasing jockey Wesley Henry at Caymanas Park yesterday, holds on from the fast-finishing favourite I AM PAID FOR (out of pic), to win the Glen T. Williamson Cup feature over 2000 metres. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

LIGHTWEIGHT JOCKEY Wesley 'Callaloo' Henry made a decisive move in his bid to catch leading rider Brian Harding in this year's jockeys' championship when he rode four winners at Caymanas Park yesterday.

The 1997 champion moved to within four of the reigning champion, this after booting home the first three winners on the 12-race programme and coming back late in the afternoon to win the principal feature for the Glen T. Williamson Cup aboard 4-1 chance PECKUS OUT.

Harding, who has been slow in getting among the winners in recent weeks, managed only one winner in 7-5 favourite ROYAL MAJESTY, who bolted home by 12 lengths in the sixth race for maiden three-year-olds over 1500 metres.

Other winners

Henry's other winners were 14-1 outsider EMMVEEPEE who made all impressively in the opening 1100-metre race for high claimers, as well as 4-5 favourite PERFECT SCORE in the second race again over 1100 metres and odds-on favourite ALNASKRA in the third race over the straight for native bred two-year-olds.

The 31-year-old jockey apparently had a glorious chance of completing a five-timer with the howling favourite SEEMELATER in the closing race for conditional $160,000 claimers. But the nine-year-old mare was declared a late non-starter at the gate, having gone lame.

Henry, however, was not perturbed. "All that is in the game, the important thing is that I made serious inroads on the leader with about 10 race days remaining," Henry said.

"Providing my agent, 'Chungie' continues to secure good rides, I could really achieve my objective of winning a second title. Right now the momentum is with me, but Harding is not going to roll over and play dead, and I will have to fight hard for every winner.

"My fitness is right up there and the way I feel, this championship could go down to the wire," he said.

Strong challenge

In the Williamson Cup feature for four-year-olds and up (non winners of three), PECKUS OUT went by long-time leaders FRANKIE MOREFIRE and QUERIDA leaving the half mile and, after thwarting a strong challenge from highly fancied PRIME SUNDOWN early in the straight, held on well to thwart a late run from the 4-5 favourite I AM PAID FOR with five-time champion Trevor Simpson aboard.

PECKUS OUT is owned by Canadian Connection and conditioned by veteran trainer Alfred Wright who posted a second winner on the card in PERFECT SCORE.

Many-time champion trainer Philip Feanny, smarting from the death of his 2003 Derby winner and 'Horse of the Year' A KING IS BORN on Friday afternoon, managed a smile when the two-year-old debutante RUM TALK ran on strongly to win the Royal Lancaster Trophy round five supporting feature with Simpson up.

Five of Feanny's horses have died in recent months, including the outstanding importee QUIET STRENGTH, KINGSTONIAN and LAW LORD.

The Gary Subratie-trained SANTA ANITA GIRL (5-1) and Tony Kirlew's STORMY SKY (18-1) won the respective sections of the Violet Armond Memorial Cup (claiming $240,000 - $210,000) over 1600 metres.