Triple pushes Walker ahead

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Champion jockey Omar Walker rode three winners at Caymanas Park yesterday to inch ahead of arch-rival Dane Nelson in their private duel for the jockeys' championship.

Walker, who had eight rides on the 10-race programme, drew first blood aboard the 1-1 second favourite SKITTLE QUEEN (running on strongly) for champion trainer Wayne DaCosta in the opening race for three-year-olds over 1200 metres to move to 44 winners.

However, Nelson was not perturbed and in the very next race for the Clifford Stewart Memorial Cup, won aboard 5-2 chance MEDICAL ACCOUNT for owner/trainer Michael McIntosh.

The ding-dong battle between both riders continued for the first five races at which stage they had each ridden two winners.

With Walker having secured eight rides and Nelson six, the battle for the ascendancy came down to the penultimate race for open allowance horses, in which both jockeys had highly fancied mounts - Walker riding the unbeaten American filly RACING MACHINE and Nelson having the leg over another American four-year-old filly, GOOD CITIZEN.

Season's tally

In the closing race, the Track Price Dig Out Handicap No.2 over the straight, Nelson did not have a ride, while Walker rode the well-backed OK BABY (5-2), which was beaten into second by the 11-1 outsider PACKHU with Larris Allen riding for trainer Victor Williams.

Walker pushed his season's tally to 46, one ahead of Nelson, who is eight clear of Paul 'Country' Francs in third. Francis managed only one winner, 3-4 favourite DANIELLE MY GIRL who just held on to win the fourth race over 1300 metres from the fast-finishing 7-1 chance ORION, with Allen aboard.

Six favourites won on the 10-race card.