BY JIMMIE, STAR Racing Writer
NON-CLAIMING apprentice Paul Francis should upstage the battling pair of leading rider Brian Harding and champion jockey Trevor Simpson tomorrow afternoon.
Lurking in the shadows of the two top jocks, Francis has been quietly holding his own, booting home 51 winners this season, 18 off Simpson, who is one behind the Trinidadian Harding.
The champion apprentice racked two winners in driving finishes last week, SIR KHAN and HOOKEDONJAZZ, both 4-1 shots, beating top jockeys Charles Hussey and Wesley Henry respectively.
Francis, dubbed 'Country' by his fans, should notch at least a two-timer on the 10-race card - PECKUS OUT in the eighth race at 1500 metres and TIGERINTHEWOODS in the 10th at 1000 metres straight.
Alfred Wright-trained PECKUS OUT was quietly fancied two weeks ago but had to settle for fourth behind POLISH MARKET at 1820 metres after losing ground off the turn.
SOY MUJER, with Harding aboard, finished second in the event, two lengths ahead of PECKUS OUT but had taken the shortest route into the straight whereas apprentice Howard Newell was forced to go four-wide and had to rally outside in the stretch run.
The effort took its toll on PECKUS OUT and after pulling even with SOY MUJER a furlong out, was outsyaed by the filly inside the final furlong as she chased home POLISH MARKET. PECKUS OUT lost third to by a half-length to SIR KHAN, who duly returned to convincingly put away PRIOR PARK last Saturday.
JACKPOTS AT $1.5M
Francis also looks good aboard Noel Ennevor's TIGERINTHEWOODS in the nightpan and should give Super-6 and Pick-9 bettors a good anchor to close out the exotic bets which boast $500,000 and $1million guaranteed jackpots respectively.
The six-year-old gelding has not raced in four months since moving from Richie Todd's barn but reports down in class at the lowest claiming level not looking bad at exercise.
The versatile gelding reacted terribly to the figure - eight in two starts under Todd's care, swerving at the off when third at 1000 metres straight on Labour Day and flatly took no part under starter's orders mid-June at 1200 metres.
Ennevor has removed the figure eight and added a blinkers to which TIGERINTHEWOODS has reacted positively, galloping 36.0 seconds for three furlongs from the gate two Saturdays ago.
Pick-9 players can look to course specialist NATURAL SELECTOR to outbattle fit QUICK MEDIC at 1820 metres in the fifth race and MISS STRAWBERRY should return with a bang off a seven-month lay-up in the seventh at 1100 metres.
Track Price Plus Pick-6 players hunting a pair of bankers should not hesistate to use Philip Feanny's MYLEGACY and Wayne DaCosta's EXCLUSIVE RUNNER in the afternoon feature events over 1100 metres and a mile respectively.
The debutant MYLEGACY, a half-sister to HERECOMESFUDGIE, looks pretty advanced and EXCLUSIVE RUNNER should outclass rivals at the extended distance.
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