Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
In this photo provided by the New York Racing Association, Lady Joanne (centre), with jockey Calvin Borel, captures the Alabama horse race on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Lear's Princess (left) was second with Eibar Coa, while Octave was third with John Velazquez. - AP
The mushrooming Pick-9 proved elusive for the eighth consecutive raceday at Caymanas Park on Saturday, ensuring a carryover of $6.3 million.
With a carryover of $4.89 million from the previous meet, the Pick-9 attracted heavy betting and the carryover would easily have topped the $6.5 million mark were it not for the fact that it was competing with a Super-6 which boasted a $616,934 carryover.
The Super-6 also enjoyed tremendous sales and in the end six punters with all six winners each received a whopping $331,275.
Although four winning favourites in RIGGS VICTORY, NUFF RESPECT, PERFECT STEP and WHITE DIAMOND obliged in the Pick-9 races, spotting nine winners was always going to be difficult with so much at stake.
Still, the card produced no stunning upsets and in addition to the four favourites, other fancied horses such as TASSY'S WHIP, LIGHT MY FIRE and to a lesser extent GIRLOFMYDREAMS at 4-1 in the day's 2-y-o feature for the Rhoel Rhoden Memorial Trophy over 1100 metres, had their supporters.
One of two winners for leading jockey Trevor Simpson and top trainer Philip Feanny, GIRLOFMYDREAMS, produced a nice turn of foot in mid-stretch to overhaul the leaders THUNDER STORM and MALAVITA midway through the last furlong for an emphatic victory.
Owned and bred by Lawrence Heffes, the bay filly who is the first offspring of the American stallion Deputy's Report, who distinguished himself in the top class during the late '90s, covered the distance in the smart time of 1:07.2. With a trainer of Feanny's calibre, she could could go on from here.
GIRLOFMYDREAMS is by Deputy's Report out of the Star Attitude mare Luvvy Duvvy.
The winner missed by most was SOY GRANDE at 5-1 in the 10th race, where PRINCE TERRON was widely used as a banker.
