Ward aboard Marvellous Marva for Mark My Word Trophy

PHILIP Feanny has handed female apprentice Mellisa Ward her biggest assignment to date, putting her aboard his grey mare, MARVELLOUS MARVA, for Wednesday's Mark My Word Trophy, an open allowance at nine furlongs and 25 yards.

Co-featuring the 11-race holiday card, alongside the 1200-metre Labour Day Trophy for $600-$550,000 claimers, the Mark My Word has been ganged by champion trainer Wayne DaCosta, who has three of six runners in the event.

Dacosta, who recently assumed leadership of the trainers' title race from Anthony Nunes', sprinting close to $2 million clear in stakes following a three-timer on Saturday, has HOVER CRAFT, DYSFUNCTIONAL and SUPERTRONICS in the line-up.

Fitzroy Glispie's nine-year-old warrior, TIME FOR ARMS, and Owen Sharpe's roguish UNCLE TAF round off the field, presenting an interesting race on paper, especially with Ward, the least experienced rider in the line-up, down to partner the ante-post favourite.

Feanny, however, has always been a stickler for weight and sees Ward's three-kilo apprentice allowance as being worth its weight in gold for MARVELLOUS MARVA, against whom the scale moved two kilos up when she stepped back down in class for the Mark My Word as the top-weighted horse at 55.0 kilos.

Ward has won once astride MARVELLOUS MARVA, a non-winners-of-three event in which she got into trouble down along the rail in the stretch run, but had a ton of horse under her and had time to change course before the wire arrived.

Both rider and mare have improved considerably since, especially MARVELLOUS MARVA, who reeled off a hat-trick to move from overnight allowance to grade one between November and January. Ward has grown in confidence but will have to display nerves of steel going up against DaCosta's trio, all partnered by top jockeys.

Champion apprentice and leading rider, Anthony Thomas, is aboard an improved DYSFUNCTIONAL at 54.0 kilos, level with MARVELLOUS MARVA, one race after beating TIMEFORARMS at 1700 metres.

LEASTFEARSOME

Omar Walker has the leg up on HOVER CRAFT, who, similar to DYSFUNCTIONAL, was outclassed by stablemate SEEKING MY DREAM in his last race, but had lost narrowly to PERFECT NEIGHBOUR in his prior event, the Bonnie Blue Flag, and was a winner before that, beating DONTAE at a mile.

SUPERTRONICS appears the least fearsome of DaCosta's trio but the six-year-old won at 10 furlongs two Saturdays ago with Gary Richards. In addition, and the champion trainer has formed a lethal combination with veteran Richards, striking at good odds, the latest being YAYA'S DREAM at 7-1 last Saturday.

Despite Ward's relative inexperience, MARVELLOUS MARVA's rapid improvement cannot be ignored. The mare's first race in grade one was a literal baptism of fire, facing WILL IN CHARGE and SHE'S A MANEATER at 1820 metres. The mile and 25 yards split was run in 1:40.3, straightening six lengths off that pace, no wonder she was left standing when the big horses kicked in the stretch run.

DaCosta's trio will no doubt take Ward and MARVELLOUS MARVA on a relay but her rider's three-kilo claim makes her light enough to keep out of trouble and outstay them all at the distance.