| Race Day Preview Day 18 Saturday 12th May 2012 | ||||
|
|
ARIMA RACE CLUB RACE DAY PREVIEW DAY 18 SATURDAY 12th MAY 2012
Super Grey goes for victory No. 24
ALREADY a record-holder, Super Grey will continue his pursuit of another on Saturday when horse racing continues at Santa Rosa Park,Arima. There will be eight races during the 18th round of the Arima Race Club’s 2012 Season and the Jamaican-bred gelding will be involved in the penultimate event at 4.46 p.m.It is the kind of record that is not always celebrated, but Super Grey has finished second on more occasions than any other horse since the sport was centralised just over 18 years ago.It is quite achievement for a horse to place in the top three as many as 20 times in its career. So just imagine when one of them is able occupy each of the three positions on more than 20 occasions.That’s what Super Grey has managed to accomplish and in addition to his astounding 28 runner-up finishers, he most likely also holds the record for thirds with 23.The son of Domino Jack has also prevailed 23 times and is definitely well clear on the list of top three finishes since centralisation with 74. And it would not be surprising if he also holds the all-time record as very few horses are even able to face the starter that many times in their entire career.Super Grey could also be close to the top of the all-time list of horses with victories when they have reached double digits in age as he done it on ten occasions.
The 12-year-old is fifth on the list of the horses with most wins since centralisation, but they are tightly bunched at the top and he is just three victories behind joint leaders Man Of Class and Punto A Punto.Fellow old stager Juanistheman, who is a year younger, scored last Saturday to join Chanticleer in third with 25 wins, so Super Grey will remain in fifth even if he scores on Saturday.The Rohit Dube-trained grey has finished second to U Crazy Diamond in his last two starts over 1,750 metres in this (60-40) company. And with Juan Navarro’s four-year-old not involved this time, Super Grey would have been the one to beat had the race been over a similar distance.But they will be competing over 1,300 metres this time and although the senior citizen has been doing reasonably well in extended sprints, he is expected to receive stiff opposition from Fleet Admiral, Believe It Or Not and Blame It On Me.Ten Powers hinted at a return to form last time and he should also be noted.However Fleet Admiral, who has been holding his own against 70-50 rated horses, looks the one to beat in the field of 11.
His John O’Brien-trained stable companion Blame It On Me looked very professional when scoring on debut a few weeks ago, but the three-year-old may not have enough experience to deal with some of these seasoned campaigners.Believe It Or Not has been first and second in his last two starts and the half-brother of 2010 Trinidad Derby winner Back On Top seems to be best over middle distances.Back On Top will actually be returning from an absence of over three months in the following event.The Maniram Maharaj-owned and trained five-year-old, who has been struggling to such an extent that he has not beaten a single horse in his last five starts, drops in class to the 70-50 level.Back On Top will be coming up against 11 horses over 1,600 metres on the turf in the curtain event at 5.25 p.m.This will be the third and final HI-5 betting race on the card and punters will also be attempting to select the first finishers in the fourth and sixth races.
The first HI-5 race is for 55-35 rated horses and 13 have been declared to battle over 1,100 metres on the turf at 2.52 p.m. Sixteen horses have been declared two races later over 1,600 metres on the grass for a 45-25 rated contest at 4.08 p.m.The spotlight event is the third, a 1,200-metre affair for 85-65 rated horses at 2.14 p.m. The field of eight includes Treasure Hunt, who finished in the money in all three legs of the 2010 triple crown, as well as Becquerel, Slippery Sam, Invictus and Leonidas in his first race in over 18 months.This race will get the Pick 6 wager going and punters will have to start from scratch here because the puzzle was solved last Saturday following a three-week drought after the afternoon began with over $35,000 in the carry-over pool.
Post time is 1 p.m.
|
| Last Updated ( Monday, 14 May 2012 14:05 ) |