She's a Maneater to chew Another Bullet
THOUGH she has only one serious rival in an inconspicuous six-horse field comprising her four stablemates and ANOTHER BULLET, all eyes will be on Wayne DaCosta's SHE'S A MANEATER in the third event, which runs off at 1:10 p.m.
The promoter has resigned itself to the fact that the $1.15m race is not dollar-worthy to be a part of its $1m guaranteed Pick-9, which starts at the fourth event, even worse, the Twilight-6, which has a carryover of $1.77m, starting at the seventh race.
However, classic watchers will be making their way to Caymanas Park early for the 12-race card, which runs off at 12:10 p.m., to see for themselves not whether SHE'S A MANEATER will win the one-mile open allowance race, but instead how far she beats ANOTHER BULLET and her stablemates.
Hot prospect
A winner of six races from seven starts, unbeaten in three starts since losing December's Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes to SOTOMAYOR, 1000 Guineas winner SHE'S A MANEATER returns from injury after missing April's Jamaica Oaks with a pulled muscle.
Along with stablemate and 2000 Guineas winner, FEARLESS SAMURAI, she remains Triple Crown bound, her next assignment being the 12-furlong Jamaica Derby, June 24, in which she is expected to meet Oaks winner MARLENE MY LOVE and the trio of colts who battled out the finish of last week's Lotto Classic Governor's Cup - disqualified winner HENRY THE SECOND, the awardee MARKET FORCE and FEARLESS SAMURAI.
Since returning to the gallops, SHE'S A MANEATER has been punching holes in the recently sanded track, clocking 1:26.2 at seven furlongs last Saturday morning and stopped the clockmen's watches in 1:06.1 for five-and-a-half a week prior.
Carrying 53.0 kilos with Omar Walker aboard, she should be racing the clock, not ANOTHER BULLET, who will have 55.0 kilos and apprentice Odeen Edwards. Though much-improved, the five-year-old horse won't get as close to SHE'S A MANEATER as he did against FEARLESS SAMURAI when losing by a length-and-a-quarter at a mile late April.
Meanwhile, versatile and consistent DANCING QUEEN can't help but get the nod in the 10th race, an 1100-metre overnight allowance for horses who have never won at the level.
Facing nine rivals at an ideal distance, DANCING QUEEN is the only horse in the event to have run from five furlongs straight to a mile in her last eight races, finishing outside the top three only twice, the last being when she chased ANOTHER BULLET to the last furlong in a mile run in 1:37.0.
Since that run, DANCING QUEEN finished third behind BIRDIE MY LOVE's 1:25.2 for 1400 metres and was second in her last two races, beaten by CHACE THE GREAT and ROYAL ASSAULT, genuine open allowance horses slipping down in class.
DANCING QUEEN has had six of her nine rivals behind her in recent races and has little to fear from LIKE A LADY and LITTLE BIG HORN, who are both new to the class, having recently beaten non-winners-of-three and four races, respectively.