Ainsley Walters, Star Racing Writer

THE champion pair of trainer Wayne DaCosta and jockey Omar Walker has a four-timer lined up on tomorrow's nine-race card including speedy MR SKILL in the 1200-metre eighth event for overnight allowance runners.

The duo is all set to open the programme with American-bred DIABOLICAL KID at 1000 metres straight before returning to land the third at 1200 metres with SHE'S MAGIC.

After landing the eighth with MR SKILL, who returns off a near five-month lay-up, the DaCosta-Walker combination should round off their tally with SKETEL in the ninth at 1300 metres.

MR SKILL last raced on August 16, ripping 57.4 for 1000 metres straight, recording his only victory as a three-year-old from four starts.

It was a disappointing year for MR SKILL, who ended his two-year-old season in 2007 poised to claim a spot among the country's top sprinters.

However, his recent exercise reports indicate signs of greatness, 1:04.3 for five and a half-furlong last Sunday morning.

MR SKILL is set to carry that form into today's race, blinding speed, which should leave rivals for dead from the gate.

His stablemate, MARK TO MARKET, and Heaton Thomas' DANCING SAM are the next quickest pair in the nine-horse field but both are drawn down along the rail whereas MR SKILL will be breaking widest, having no traffic to deal with heading into the half-mile turn.

That definitely gives MR SKILL a major advantage, handing Omar Walker a chance to breeze DaCosta's runner, who weakened at 1100 metres in three races as a three-year-old before winning at 1000 metres straight.

half-length away

Having won as far as 1300 metres as a two-year-old, MR SKILL should get the distance and will have to be caught.

DANCING SAM did pretty well to get within a half-length of ALNASKRA at 1100 metres on December 17, closing strongly inside the final half-furlong.

He returns 14 lbs lighter and will be closing as a team with THE QUEEN, who was a half-length away in third place.

However, MR SKILL's speed should have him way out in front, cruising unmolested, forcing his rivals out of their natural pace.

DIABOLICAL KID has not raced in seven months but is working too well to be opposed in the first, 59.1 from the gate last Sunday morning and 1:06.1 on the round for five and a half-furlong the previous week.

SHE'S MAGIC has also been moving sweetly at exercise, 1:00.1 Sunday morning after her close third behind MY SPACE and return runaway winner LITTLE WASP on December 6.

SKETEL, similar to the other DaCosta runners, has also trained well, 1:02.0 on the round course for five furlongs Monday morning, capping a solid month of workouts for the five-year-old mare.

Elsewhere on the nine-race card, Alden Francis' ME LLAMO, who bolted down the backstretch and into the lane but still won by 12 lengths at 1820 metres on December 17, is tipped to land the 2000-metre fifth race for the Altamont V Armond Memorial Cup for $325-$295,000 claimers.

ME LLAMO is up in class against the likes of GETAWAYBOY and BONNIE's VICTORY, who are both slipping down in class in the seven-horse field.

Although down in class, GETAWAYBOY ran too poorly at 1820 metres on Boxing Day to get the nod, finishing way down the track behind JACK N DBOX.

BONNIE'S VICTORY ran prominently for seventh behind DR STEPHANIE at a mile on December 17 but the event was clocked in a slow 1:42.4 with a crawling split of 49.4 for the first half-mile.

ME LLAMO might be up in class but is light enough to chase 54-kilo BONNIE'S VICTORY off the lead and run the Canadian-bred into the ground down the backstretch.