Sir Budget too light to lose

SIR BUDGET has caught the handicaps in Saturday's 1000-metre round open allowance sprint, coming in at the bottom of the scale, 51.0 kilos, after carrying 57.0 three races prior. Trainer Michael Beecham has gleefully responded by summoning hot champion apprentice and leading rider, Anthony Thomas, to further slip two kilos at the minimum distance.

Though he won't be able to claim his full apprentice allowance, Thomas should easily make 50.5 kilos, the weight he rode at on Wednesday when posting a four-timer to skip eight winners clear of Shane Ellis in the jockeys' title race.

SIR BUDGET remains one of the quickest horses on the books at Caymanas Park, routinely spitting out sub-46.0 half-mile splits in almost every race he contests. His last win was at Saturday's distance, similar weight and same class, easily beating DWYANE STAR and RAS EMANUEL in October before ambitiously going off to contest the grade one Caribbean Sprint and Diamond Mile.

Returning in February after those exertions, SIR BUDGET found himself with 57.0 kilos, allowing weight to MONEY MAGNET, who had beaten him in the Caribbean Sprint. That was followed by another impossible task, giving SIEMPRE BUENO weight at 1000 metres straight.

With those two ridiculous allotments out of the way, SIR BUDGET was eased to 53.0 for his last assignment, 1200 metres, and mixed it up for a half-mile with in-form SIMPLY THE BEST, with whom he sat level and disputed the lead to the last furlong and a half.

Six-horse field

Running six pounds lighter on Saturday in a six-horse field, SIR BUDGET should be lonely on the lead unless Dane Dawkins on ZEPHYR decides to go kamikaze, which could be the case, considering trainer Wayne Parchment has fitted the five-year-old mare with blinkers.

However, Thomas has a cool head and is no stranger to SIR BUDGET, having been aboard the speedster for his October victory plus a battling five-straight win against CHOO CHOO BLUE last July.

ANOTHER BULLET is also coming revved up, fitted with a visor by Patrick Lynch, but his chances will depend on the pace coming back, which is not likely with SIR BUDGET carrying a feather at the minimum trip.

Wayne DaCosta's pair of ARMAGEDDON and LOTTERY TICKET are both up in class after winning their first overnight allowance races with a baptism of speed ahead of them.