Richard Azan

RICHARD AZAN won the Triple Crown and Superstakes with MARK MY WORD, now he wants to send a 'message' to stop Wayne DaCosta's FATTY BUM BUM in her tracks as she hunts the million-dollar bonus of the Supreme Ventures Limited Two-Year-old Series.

FATTY BUM BUM made all at 1200 metres on October 16 to convincingly win the $2.95m Cash Pot 'Only one for Me' trophy, the first leg of the SVL three-race series, flattening the favourite, TRADITIONAL PRINCE.

She has two hurdles left for a big payday - this Saturday's $3.6m Pick-3 Challenge trophy at 1400 metres and the December 26 Jamaica Two-Year-old Stakes at a mile, the biggest and richest two-year-old race on the local-racing calendar.

Make that three hurdles, though. Azan believes his runner in Saturday's Pick-3 Challenge trophy, THE MESSENGER, has the ability to stop the speedy filly.

whipped

Whereas FATTY BUM BUM has had three wins in four starts, THE MESSENGER only debuted last Saturday and was whipped, beaten three lengths by a fellow maiden, SMOKIN MAN, at 1100 metres.

THE MESSENGER debuted as a big 3-4 favourite on Saturday after beating none other than TRADITIONAL PRINCE at exercise the previous Monday morning.

He raced prominently down the backstretch but his inexperience showed when he ducked in at the half-mile, leading his backers to believe he was hindered by SMOKIN MAN.

After losing ground he tried rallying in the stretch run but SMOKIN MAN, who had run a creditable third on debut behind WINNIANNA and return winner NIPHAL on October 23, was far too strong in winning in 1:06.4.

Azan believes the experience has done his colt a world of good and he will be much better for the run at 1400 metres this Saturday with a $3.6m purse dangling.

"I do think highly of THE MESSENGER," he said. "He is a very nice colt and coming on nicely. I was hoping that he would have won on Saturday. He should have raced earlier but had a setback.

"I wanted to give him some experience on Saturday but he suffered a little interference and it affected him. By the time he got his act together and ran on, the race was finished."

Azan said THE MESSENGER is ready and raring for a shot at Saturday's big purse.

"He came out of the race OK, so I entered him. If you don't have a ticket, you don't have a chance," he pointed out.

Along with FATTY BUM BUM, TRADITIONAL PRINCE has also been working well. After losing at exercise to THE MESSENGER, he returned Sunday morning to post 1:14.1, beating Philip Feanny's BURST OF ENERGY, who clocked 1:15.0 for the 1200-metre gallop.

worked brilliantly

FATTY BUM BUM has been her usual zippy self in the mornings, clocking 1:14.1 on November 15 before putting away stablemate REGGAE PRINCESS in 1:14.4 last Sunday morning.

"I don't follow exercise very closely as it doesn't necessarily prove what will happen in a race," said Azan.

"TRADITIONAL PRINCE has worked brilliantly for the race. In his last workout, he looked a lot sharper. FATTY BUM BUM is definitely the horse everybody has to beat. She worked very well the other morning and has been holding her body well. She looks very nice."

Don't underestimate THE MESSENGER, though. Azan hardly wins with first-time runners.

"Although this horse is a maiden, I believe I have a fairly good chance," he noted.