Walker, Nelson star on day of upsets
CHAMPION jockey Omar Walker and Dane Nelson rode three winners at Caymanas Park yesterday to highlight an intriguing 10-race card where Hail The Genius and Shawn’s Girl created upsets.
Both won two outright and had to share the other with each other after dead-heating. Walker won aboard the 1-2 favourite Piccolo in the second race for trainer Grayden K Rose, Good Sense in the day’s feature for Grayden K Rose and Heart Of Gold for trainer Wayne DaCosta, who dead-heated in the in the eighth race with Laws Of The Cat ridden by Nelson for trainer Carl Anderson in the eighth race.
Nelson’s two winners were Alias Mr Cat, also for Anderson in the fourth race, and Shawn’s Girl who upset at odds of 12-1 for trainer Enos Brown in the sixth.
It was the fourth win for Walker after his second day on the saddle for the year which puts him in forth position on the jockeys’ standings and three for Nelson, who was opening his winning account,
Walker narrowly missed a four-timer, but his 1-2 favourite Skittle Queen was beaten by the 17-1 bet Hail The Genius, the mount of Aaron Chatrie, in the ninth and penultimate race.
Earlier, Good Sense made light work of his seven rivals with a gate-to-wire victory the $528,000 Colin Melhado claiming feature by 1 1/4 lengths. Installed as a 3-2 betting option and carrying top weight of 54.0kg, Good Sense, trained by Fitzgerald Richards for owner Noril K Atkins came up in grade to run 1,200 metres in 1:14.1 for consecutive wins after hammering the grade below by 7 1/2 lengths over 1,000 metres straight on Boxing Day.
Ming Lei ridden by Richard Mitchell and well supported at 7-2 made late headway along the rails to finish second ahead of Danielle My Girl who tract the winner into the lane but failed to carry through her gallop and finished third two lengths farther back. Magdala who showed some early speed plodded on to complete the frame partnered by Clive Lynch.
Good Sense a six-year-old bay gelding by Pat N Jac out of Megan May (Hermitage) and bred at Orange Valley Estates Ltd was winning for the sixth time from 43 career starts and he earned $288,300 as the winner’s share for earnings of $2,575,500 lifetime.