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MARK MY WORD, COMMANDING CHIEF and SAINT CECELIA, the three biggest and baddest local-bred horses in the land, square off tomorrow with what appears to be a super-improved EMPEROR HALL in one of the biggest races on the local calendar, the Gold Cup.
What is most intriguing about tomorrow's race are the riding assignments with leading rider Dick Cardenas aboard EMPEROR HALL and defending champion jockey Omar Walker astride COMMANDING CHIEF.
It would have been expected that one of either would have been astride MARK MY WORD. However, the Superstakes winner's uncertainty for the Gold Cup, seeing he would have been off to Trinidad for last Saturday's Caribbean Nations Challenge Raceday, forced both riders to look elsewhere.
Cardenas won aboard EMPEROR HALL in the CTL Imported Mile whereas Walker used MARK MY WORD to beat COMMANDING CHIEF in the Superstakes.
Walker's agent, Gary Reid, believes COMMANDING CHIEF is better prepared and the four-time defending champion jockey will flip the script in tomorrow's Gold Cup.
"This decision was made about a week after the Superstakes. MARK MY WORD was uncertain. Initially, he should have gone to Trinidad so he wouldn't have been here. The trainer was uncertain about making the race and I was already booked on COMMANDING CHIEF," he said.
MARK MY WORD hasn't worked like a horse preparing for a seven-furlong race but has tons of class. Azan probably didn't want to have him too excited boarding a plane to Trinidad.
However, the 1:09.0 he clocked for five and a half Tuesday morning could be enough with his undisputed class already proven with two victories over COMMANDING CHIEF, allowing him weight on both occasions.
COMMANDING CHIEF looked sharp in clocking 1:27.1 for seven furlongs last Saturday morning and Reid has promised "an Omar Walker ride" to turn the tables on MARK MY WORD with Dane Nelson aboard.
"This is a three-year-old just reaching grade one," he remarked. "That was his second grade-one race and his two performances tell you he must be something special. That's the reason we're aboard. We couldn't have gone for anything else.
"You're not getting a Paul Francis ride. You're getting an Omar Walker ride. Omar Walker is aboard now and he will get him in the winners' enclosure for sure," Reid told STAR Sports.
It will certainly be an interesting race with lightning-fast SAINT CECELIA trying to get the distance with topweight 57.0 kilos and Shane Ellis. It's doubtful she'll be around in the final shake.
EMPEROR HALL was in awesome form in landing the Imported Mile. However, with SAINT CECELIA around to carry the pace, EMPEROR HALL could be taken out of his comfort zone with the likes of COMMANDING CHIEF and MARK MY WORD ensuring an honest pace.
The handicaps and distance are in COMMANDING CHIEF's favour. SAINT CECELIA is too heavy to carry her speed over 1400 metres and MARK MY WORD is now allowing COMMANDING CHIEF eight pounds, the most in three meetings to date.
Walker won't be sticking around for MARK MY WORD to stalk and beat him. He should use COMMANDING CHIEF's sharpness and weight advantage to late the Horse of the Year who seems rushed into the Gold Cup.
