Favourites shorten Reggae 6 payout

UNLIKE New Year's Day when TAPIT GOOD closed the Reggae 6 at odds of 8-1, pushing the payout to $27,712, MISS BRAETON winning Saturday's opener at 6-1 resulted in less than half the dividend, $11,891, thanks to three winning favourites.

American PHENOMENAL POWER effectively made the Reggae 6 a Pick 5, landing the second event as a 1-5 favourite should, blasting a hapless field by nine lengths, a combined winning margin of 24 lengths in two starts.

ROCK-OLA, an 8-5 second choice, finally won an elusive second race, nailing stablemate CAPTAIN FANTASTIC at the wire. CAPTAIN FANTASTIC failed by a nose to win at odds of 6-1, a victory which would have added more meat to the Reggae 6-payout bone.

Market-springer VICTORIOUS LINKS, an even-money favourite, fought off 8-5 chance DARK AUTHORITY to land the fourth for three-year-old maidens, hanging on by a head to hold late-charging MO PAI at five and a half furlongs.

LADY KATHGARA won the fifth on looks and performance, reporting razor sharp to make all at five and a half furlongs among maiden five-year-olds.

MATUSO, caught by WICKED CASSIE at a mile on December 21, tracked LUCY IN THE SKY before using mid-race speed to run away from closers, THE GENERAL and BATTLE ANGEL, going a furlong shorter as the 3-5 favourite in the sixth.

Claiming rider Demar Williams, who opened the nine-race card aboard MISS BRAETON, closed the programme astride ZULU WARRIOR at 5-1 in the Security Department Trophy at five furlongs straight among overnight-allowance winners.

ZULU WARRIOR made amends for his December 13 loss to Canadian ATLANTIC CONVOY at six furlongs, powering away from ANOTHER ONE to beat late-closing American, CHAMPION BUBBLER, by almost six lengths.

Drawn favourably at post-position nine, three stalls from the stands' side, super-fit ZULU WARRIOR raced within touch of ANOTHER ONE, partnered by Roman, before exploding inside the last furlong to record his sixth career win at age five, the first at the trip.

Racing continues on Saturday with the Reggae 6 opening at $6.3m.