Feanny's Campesino to capture feature

Having finished a good fifth in the $13.9 million Diamond Mile on December 10, CAMPESINO should rebound with a win in the open allowance feature for the St Catherine Cup over 1100 metres at Caymanas Park today.

Trained by 14-time champion Philip Feanny for popular owner Howard Hamilton, CAMPESINO will be opposed by six rivals, including the recent winners POLLY B and SIR BUDGET and the highly regarded BLUE DIXIE, who will not find the distance too sharp.

CAMPESINO, who shoulders topweight of 57.0kg and will allow weight all around, last won the prestigious Glen Mills Caribbean Sprint Championship over 1200 metres on November 12, clocking the fast time of 1:10.4 in lowering the colours of his fleet-footed stable-companion BUZZ NIGHTMARE.

Having beaten the best sprinters in the country that day, a fit CAMPESINO looks the obvious choice. He chased BUZZ NIGHTMARE throughout the backstretch in the Diamond Mile and was not disgraced in finishing fifth going that far.

With Robert Halledeen up, the seven-year-old bay gelding by Campadre out of Yaella has the speed to chase POLLY B and SIR BUDGET at close range before taking command from early in the straight. His class should do the rest.

Other firm fancies on the nine-race programme are the Anthony 'Baba' Nunes-trained RUNALLDAY in the opening race over 1300 metres; JON MARSHALL to stave off CONCLUSION in the third; MISTER BONES under former champion Dane Nelson in the fourth; TWILIGHT STORM in the fifth; and FIERY PATH ahead of STERRI'S CHOICE in the seventh.