Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer

APPRENTICE OMAR Walker established himself as the favourite to win his first jockeys' title following a fabulous three-timer at Caymanas Park yesterday.

The 24-year-old rider signalled his intentions from the first race with a decisive victory aboard 1-2 favourite STORMIN AWAY for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta in the Dewhurst Stakes co-feature for native bred two-year-olds over 1300 metres.

He came back in the next race to boot home the 8-5 second favourite QUEEN OF MY HEART, again for DaCosta, over 1600 metres and rounded off the three-timer with an easy victory aboard 3-5 favourite MR. PRIDE for trainer Welsh Soutar in the seventh race over 2000 metres.

Something extra

After the seventh race, Walker joined leading jockey Trevor Simpson at the top of the jockeys' standings with 49 winners, but Simpson found extra to record his 50th win of the season aboard 4-1 chance HARMONICS in the nightpan, race No. 3 in the second CTL Claiming series ($210,000 and less) over 1200 metres.

Another hot apprentice, Javour Simpson, who started the day jointly in second with Walker on 46 wins, managed only one winner in 3-2 shot THE SMOKER for trainer Noel Ennevor in Division I of the overnight allowance race over 1600 metres, to move to 47.

Significantly, Walker rode his first three-timer on Wednesday, March 28, and was the first of the current batch of apprentices to ride four winners on May 13, this comprising RUN ALDEENO, ALL FIRED UP, BULLET TRAIN and CLOCK WORK.

Not to be left out, DaCosta kept his championship hopes alive by saddling three winners in STORMIN AWAY, QUEEN OF MY HEART and down-in-class SHAKE YOUR BOOTY at the rather generous odds of 10-1. As a result, DaCosta has made serious inroads on leader Philip Feanny in their private duel for the trainers' championship.

Feanny started the day more than $990,000 ahead of DaCosta, but in the end the reigning champion reduced the lead to only $150,000 by virtue of his three winners and a second-place finish by AITCHEMESBEAGLE in the race won by THE SMOKER.

Additionally, STORMIN AWAY made most to win the Dewhurst Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths from the Feanny-trained GIRLOFMYDREAMS (Simpson up) in a field of six, covering the distance in the smart time of 1:19.1.

Owned and bred by Alexander Haber, STORMIN AWAY has now won twice from three starts. He is a chestnut colt by Royal Minister out of Golden Olympio.