Reggae 6 opener a knotty affair

BETTORS should take no chances with Saturday's Reggae 6 opener, which requires no fewer than four selections to cover eventualities in the six-furlong event for four-year-olds, non-winners of two races, basically a lottery of horses heading into their five-year-old careers with only a maiden win to their credit.

NOBLE MONARCH, SHEER DE JOUR, CHINITA ESTRELLA and GLOBAL MACHINE should provide sufficient cover in the opener, allowing LION OF EKATI to be used as a banker in the second at seven and a half furlongs, hard to oppose in a bid for back-to-back wins.

CROWN CHASER, last year's Jamaica Derby winner, has been behind WICKED CASSIE for probably four of his last five starts. However, it's best to keep the local-bred on bets with WICKED CASSIE, who might have been to one dance too many in the last month or two.

ABSOLUTE BLUE and SUDDEN FLIGHT, drawn widest at five furlongs straight, should decide the fourth, whereas TALONA can be safely banked in the fifth at five furlongs straight among $700,000 claimers.

The sixth is a bit trickier, three-year-olds, non-winners of two races at seven furlongs, giving a middle-distance runner such as MINEOLA a great chance of upsetting stablemate PRINCE ROY. I'M OUTSTANDING and MY APOLOGY, runners with long-speed pace, should also be used in the Reggae 6 closer.

REGGAE 6

Race 1: 2, 4, 5, 7

Race 2: 3

Race 3: 2, 4

Race 4: 7, 8

Race 5: 8

Race 6: 1, 3, 8, 9

TOTAL: $640

TWILIGHT 6

Race 4: 7, 8

Race 5: 8

Race 6: 1, 3, 8, 9

Race 7: 3

Race 8: 5

Race 9: 3, 4, 9

TOTAL: $240

BONUS BETS

EARLY 5-STAR

Race 3: 2, 4

Race 4: 7, 8

Race 5: 8

Race 6: 1, 3, 8, 9

Race 7: 3

TOTAL: $160

LATE 5-STAR

Race 5: 8

Race 6: 1, 3, 8, 9

Race 7: 3

Race 8: 5

Race 9: 3, 4, 9

TOTAL: $120

BEST THREE

Race 2: Lion of Ekati

Race 5: Talona

Race 7: H Two O

OUTSIDER:

Race 6: No Apology