AFTER watching his lead being whittled from $3.2m to $1.45m in two racedays, champion trainer Wayne DaCosta is set to unleash a fistful of winners on Anthony Nunes tomorrow afternoon in the battle for the trainers' championship.

Nunes' three wins in two days, including two-year-old EL PATRON in Saturday's Pick-3 Super Challenge Trophy, plus Wednesday's runaway winner, RUN CYAH DUN, have had pundits predicting a change of the guard in the trainers title, which DaCosta has held for the last six years.

Although bred to sprint, Image Maker-Born To Be Wild, RUN CYAH DUN is being touted as the biggest two-year-old seen so far this season, sparking talk of a Nunes exacta in the $4.25m Boxing Day Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes.

However, DaCosta will have a lot to say before the last race day of the year, starting tomorrow when he sends what appears to be a shrewd five-timer to the starting gate.

The 10-time champion trainer has TANTALOO in the third, GHOST RAPPER in the fourth, BLAST THEM AWAY in the fifth, JET SETTER in the eighth and KACEY POPS' KID, down in class in the night pan for $180,000 claimers.

Make no mistake, DaCosta has carefully distributed these five rides among his three main riders, Georgina Sergeon, Dane Nelson and Shane Ellis, based on their individual strengths.

Note how he has gone for female apprentice Sergeon aboard TANTALOO at a mile where the filly will carry 49.0 kilos with the tactic being to slip the field down the backstretch.

TANTALOO has not gone beyond six furlongs in three starts and has her doubters who will opt for Kingsley Davis' GREAT LIKE THAT, a colt who placed fourth at seven furlongs in his second start on November 11.

However, GREAT LIKE THAT appeared a bit one paced that afternoon and should be caught flat footed down the backstretch by TANTALOO.

GHOST RAPPER, a $300,000 claim by DaCosta on November 2, showed improvement two Saturdays ago when losing by a length to THE VALIDICTORIAN at a mile. Return-ing at 1500 metres on a $350,000 tag tomorrow, GHOST RAPPER should be a cinch.

The bustling Dane Nelson has been handed the job aboard GHOST RAPPER as well as BLAST THEM AWAY who is on his way to grade one and ought to be followed as he continues to scorch the exercise track in the mornings.

DaCosta has handed Ellis two horses which should suit his riding style - JET SETTER and KACEY POP'S KID. Both will be required to sit in the pace and pick off rivals on the bridle. JET SETTER's second-place run in the Superstakes Day Sprint and 1:25.0 for seven furlongs prior to that, makes him hard to beat.