Birdie My Love, Jamai Raja face off again

BIRDIE MY LOVE and JAMAI RAJA meet for the third time within a month, contesting Saturday's 1400-metre overnight allowance for the Jamaica Veterinary Board World Vet Day Trophy. Both horses will be ridden by apprentices, JAMAI RAJA with Melissa Ward at 50.0 kilos, whereas Oneil Scott is astride BIRDIE MY LOVE, booked to ride at 49.5.

With the handicaps overwhelmingly in their favour, the in-form rivals' main threat from off the pace should be STORMING, who is at a handy 52.5 kilos with non-claiming apprentice Javaniel Patterson.

Anthony Nunes' BILINGUAL has been working well but has 57.0 kilos and reports off a five-month lay-up, not raced since Superstakes after racing prominently to the furlong pole in the grade one Invitational Mile won by stablemate HOUDINI'S MAGIC.

Under normal circumstances, a performance like that, backed by a great 1:13.3 for six furlongs last Saturday morning, would have made the four-year-old filly the ante-post favourite. However, the lay-up and topweight, allowing in-form BIRDIE MY LOVE and JAMAI RAJA, 16lb apiece, would scare off even her most ardent backers.

TOUGH RACE

Whereas JAMAI RAJA had finished ahead of BIRDIE MY LOVE in their last meeting, going 1820 metres on 2000 Guineas Sunday, it should be noted that it was the filly's stablemate, the tough nine-year-old, TIME FOR ARMS, who had won that route event, 1820 metres, which was right up his street.

BIRDIE MY LOVE had run a very tough race two weeks prior, losing in a driving finish to DYSFUNCTIONAL and TIMEFORARMS, male horses, at 1700 metres. JAMAI RAJA led that race to the top of the lane before BIRDIE MY LOVE pounced but was attacked by DYSFUNCTIONAL.

To have returned two weeks later, going a route race, the filly did her best, again chasing JAMAI RAJA, but could have been a bit leg weary at an unfamiliar distance and ended up fifth in the event, which her stablemate, TIMEFORARMS, closed from off the pace and won easily.

However, reverting to the mile chute and drawn pretty comfortably at post-position one with no speed threat near her, BIRDIE MY LOVE should hug the rail for the entire trip with her light impost. JAMAI RAJA will be breaking almost widest, from post 11 in the 12-horse field, leaving female apprentice Melissa Ward with no choice but to come down from the high draw early before the half-mile intervenes.

It should come down to a jockey's race thereafter, leaving Scott with the benefit of the doubt, having been on some good winners recently, twice aboard Richard Azan's PEKING CRUZ, plus SIR PUDDINGTON, which would have done a world of good for his confidence.