Poker Star holds all the keys
Wayne DaCosta’s back-to-form POKER STAR should have no problem putting away rivals with everything in his favour for Saturday’s open allowance at five furlongs straight.
After returning from a 10-month layup in May, the 2015 sprint champion quickly found his footing, closing fast with topweight for fourth behind stablemate MR UNIVERSE’s rapid-fire 58.1 at 1000 metres straight on his first race back.
Two weeks later, the six-year-old gelding got closer, a length and a half behind WONG DON at five and a half furlongs after swerving at the start.
The third time out was a charm and POKER STAR ran away from rivals exactly a month after his return from layup, making a mockery of overnight allowance runners at six furlongs, five lengths clear a furlong out before getting home in 1:13.0 ahead of SOY EL SENOR.
Up in class, POKER STAR renews rivalry with fit WONG DON in addition to open allowance mainstays, such as ORPHEUS, ANOTHER BULLET, ZEPHYR and CAMPESINO on his way down from grade one.
Breaking from postposition six in the eight-horse field, POKER STAR is getting weight from all but two of his six rivals. He has the handicaps to his liking plus a great draw from where Omar Walker can see all his dangers.
ORPHEUS comes in at 120lb, CAMPESINO tops the scale at 126lb, ZEPHYR carries 118 and ANOTHER BULLET is only three pounds shy of topweight with 123 – all drawn to the inside of POKER STAR with 115lb.
DaCosta has kept POKER STAR on the move at exercise, toning the gelding down somewhat in 1:07.4 for five and a half furlongs last Saturday morning, not like the 1:06.3 he had blasted a week before winning a month ago.