The Jamaica Star :: Sport :: No stopping Best Man

by Jimmie, Star Racing Writer

Trevor 'Slicer' Simpson

BILLY Williams' OUTSTANDING has a score to settle with Richard Azan's RAMPAGE in tomorrow afternoon's Abe Issa Memorial Cup at 1200 metres.

OUTSTANDING, whose bad behaviour at the gate showed up last Saturday when she charged out and bolted before the start, unfortunately lost an Open Allowance event to RAMPAGE in her previous race.

That afternoon, OUTSTANDING swerved at the start and turned for home six lengths fourth behind the speedy EXPLOSIVE PEAK being chased by RAMPAGE three lengths off.

Williams' filly made up tremendous ground along the rail, but RAMPAGE got first run outside on EXPLOSIVE PEAK to beat OUTSTANDING by a neck.

Reunited with Trevor Simpson, who won four consecutive races aboard the filly last season, OUTSTANDING, even with a shaky start, should kill her four rivals with speed.

Jackpots at $1.5m

With the Pick-9 back on this week's 11-race card, Simpson should get the $1m bet rolling in the third event with THE BEST MAN in the 1100-metre Howard Phillipps Memorial Cup.

Drawn sweetly at post position one, THE BEST MAN should blind his five rivals with speed down the backstretch and scrape paint into the lane where he will have to be caught.

Last time out, THE BEST MAN was far too heavy, 57.0 kilos, to get away from ISLA with 48.5 and weakened into fourth close home.

The $500,000 Super-6, which starts at the sixth event, should be opened by Wesley Perkins' SHAHID, who takes a drop in class at the suitable distance of a mile.

SHAHID won at the distance on a $260,000 tag in December and closed late at the level next time out, beaten at 1200 metres by POWER CRACKER.

Now down to $210,000, SHAHID should be closing too fast for rivals in the stretch run.

JACK BE GOOD is up in class for the 1200-metre seventh race but should still prove too quick for JET BLASTER and UNCLE D & ME at the distance.

YAMASHITA'S GOLD looks good at 1000 metres straight in the eighth and should outfinish the very fit WINNING MESSAGE.

Track Price Plus Pick-6 players should round off their bets with the speedy COLLEGE BOY in the fifth event at 1000 metres straight after being caught by REX TIPOU last time out.