Four-year-old chestnut gelding Peking Cruz and four-year-old dark bay filly Nuclear Flight lock horns in what should be an epic battle from start to finish in an Open Allowance highlighter over the five-furlong (1,000m) straight course at Caymanas Park today.

Both horses are course specialists with four wins apiece. Peking Cruz’s four wins came from five starts, while Nuclear Flight is a perfect four from four.

If either Peking Cruz or Nuclear Flight should put any foot wrong here or run themselves to wreck then look for old-stager Campesino to be breathing down their neck for a possible upset in the end.

The other four runners in the seven-horse field — Pakman, Exhilarate, K D Flyer and Birdie My Love are all capable and talented runners but will find it very difficult for victory in this one.

The three-year-olds and upward event, which carries a purse of $1.15 million, is positioned as the ninth event on the 10-race card with a post time of 4:55 pm. First race, which sees last year’s Lotto Classic for the Governor’s Cup winner Drummer Boy competing over seven furlongs (1,400m), has a post time of 12:10 pm.

Both Peking Cruz and Nuclear Flight are among the most improved horses in training last year and rightly so as the former won seven races from 12 starts and the latter five from eight. Peking Cruz was voted as best three-year-old male sprinter and best three-year-old overall sprinter, while Nuclear Flight was the best three-year-old female sprinter for the 2019 racing season and so an exciting race is at hand here.

Peking Cruz rose to the top with four consecutive victories including two at this Open Allowance level but had his winning streak halted in the Caribbean Sprint Championship when he finished third behind Chace The Great and Mr Universe over six furlongs (1,200m) last November. Peking Cruz last raced on January 19 of this year when he came home in third position behind Money Magnet and Chace The Great over today’s distance, his only loss over the journey. Based on that run and with no Money Magnet and Chace The Great here, Peking Cruz, who is down in class to compete here, can get home in first place.

Peking Cruz‘s only difficulty might be the number one draw but in recent times more horses have won from inside draws over the straight, plus with only seven horses in the race, the draw might be of little significance. Simon Husbands rides with top weight of 57.0kgs (126 lb).

Nuclear Flight also has speed which makes her a tough opponent here as well. The dark bay filly did well in her first run in the class on January 12 of this year when finishing just under two lengths behind Another Bullet over five-and-a-half furlongs (1,100m) in a blistering 1:04.3 minutes.

Nuclear Flight is fighting fit and will not go down easily in this one, plus the stables of trainer Gary Subratie is red hot at the moment. Dane Dawkins rides at 51.0kgs (112 lb).

Ones to watch

Race 1) Drummer Boy/Soy El Senor/Reigning King

Race 2) Also Correct/Party Princess/Call To Duty

Race 3) Rohan Kabir/Envisaged/Awesome Miracle

Race 4) Crimson/King Tavari/Princess Ava

Race 5) Isotope/Nala’s Bushman/Friendly Neighbour

Race 6) Beltane/Reasons/Boss Izzy

Race 7) Crusing Motion/Poker Star/Diferentgeneration

Race 8) Unbreakable/Top Eagle/Big Black Nation

Race 9) Nuclear Flight/Peking Cruz/Campesino

Race 10) Cerasini/Kappone/Dynamax Cat