Hop on Hover Craft

Down in class HOVER CRAFT, to be ridden by champion jockey Omar Walker for 16-time champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, is tipped to win the 3-y-o and up overnight allowance feature over 1700 metres at Caymanas Park today.

HOVER CRAFT, who has won in grade one company and was second to FRANFIELD in the 2015 Superstakes is out for the first time since finishing 12 lengths ninth to stable-companion and back to back "Horse of the Year' SEEKING MY DREAM in the $13.9 million Diamond Mile on December 10.

Indications are the 7-y-o gelding by He'stherealthing out of Royal Pizzaz would have finished closer had he not run wide into the straight and despite getting on in age, is still good enough to take out his 10 opponents. His final time of 1:39.0 in the Diamond Mile against the best horses in the country was pretty decent and having worked well in preparation for this race, galloping six furlongs in 1;14.2 (bullet work) last Saturday morning, his final rattle should do the trick.

HAT-TRICK

Although fancied to win on the basis of his back class, HOVER CRAFT can expect stiff competition from his improving stable-companion IAN LINKS, who bids for a hat-trick of wins, proven campaigner UNCLE TAF now fully focused for this race and TIMEFORARMS, who failed by a neck to beat ROYAL VIBES in the recent Allan "Billy" Williams Memorial Trophy over 1400 metres.

The Fitzroy Glispie-trained TIMEFORARMS came from a long way behind to make it close in that race and now back to good form and the longer distance even more to his liking, looks the principal danger to HOVER CRAFT.

Elsewhere on the 10-race programme, LORD EQUUS, with three-time champion Dane Nelson up, seems cherry ripe for a win and is preferred to DYSFUNCTIONAL, BIRD CATCHER and recent winner MY COMPANION in the competitive looking fourth race over 1400 metres.

The Patrick Fong-trained LORD EQUUS caught the eye when finishing a close third to LIKE A LADY over 1100 metres last Saturday and with this trip more to his liking, gets the nod over BIRD CATCHER and the DaCosta-trained DYSFUNCTIONAL (working well) in a field of nine.

I also like SILENCE to win the second, CONCLUSION, having finished second in his last four races, to finally break the ice in the third for maiden four-year-olds and up; BUBBLING KITTEN in the fifth and TUXEDO in the seventh.