FAYROUZ looks good for Nunes

ANTHONY Nunes' trainers'-championship coup de grace continues on Wednesday's 10-race card with Diamond Mile absentee FAYROUZ facing six rivals in an open allowance at nine furlongs and 25 yards.

Leading defending 17-time champion Wayne DaCosta by $1.576m, Nunes is beyond recall following the turn of events in the Diamond Mile, earning $2.2m with BIGDADDYKOOL after his rival's pre-race favourite, SHE'S A MANEATER, bolted at the start and was scratched.

A three-timer last Saturday extended Nunes' lead to $1.576 over DaCosta after starting the afternoon $924,500 ahead and all set to lift his first trainers' crown.

Even with DaCosta revving up SHE'S A MANEATER's engines at exercise with a five-and-a-half work on the round, 1:05.3, the last five in 59.2, for a grade one sprint next Saturday and the Miracle Man at nine furlongs and 25 yards, 11 days later, Nunes has more than enough silver bullets left for the Jamaica Two-Year-Old Stakes on Boxing Day, including this afternoon's debutant, TOONA CILIATA, along with his stablemates, CORAZON and SUPREME SOUL, who won impressively at a mile on Saturday.

DRAMA-FILLED EVENT

After not nominating earnings-qualifier FAYROUZ for the Diamond Mile, allowing BIGDADDYKOOL in through the back door and picking up second-place in the drama-filled event, Nunes is now sitting pretty on superior numbers, which is evident in the 29 more starts he has had than DaCosta so far this season.

Oaks-winner FAYROUZ is expected to keep Nunes' bankroll spinning, in receipt of eight pounds from topweight ANOTHER BULLET, who has never been a two-turn specialist and is too heavy to try slipping the field.

DaCosta's entries, eight-year-old HOVER CRAFT and four-year-old UNCLE FRANK, are both light at 107 and 110lb, respectively, with apprentice riders aboard. However, FAYROUZ, an impressive winner at the level on September 29 when taking the Fontainbleu Trophy at seven-and-a half-furlongs, had UNCLE FRANK five lengths behind her.

FAYROUZ was also six lengths clear of HOVER CRAFT when finishing fourth behind WITHOUT EXCEPTION in the Invitational Mile on Superstakes Day.

Gary Subratie's imported SARATOGA SIGHT, a battling winner at a mile in overnight allowance company, narrowly beating BIRDIE MY LOVE and ROYAL VIBES, is a horse to keep an eye on, now stretched out at a distance after finishing seven lengths behind sprinters - MR UNIVERSE, CAMPESINO and PATRIARCH - at five furlongs straight.