Bets crash on nightmare day for favourites

FAVOURITES fell like ninepins on Saturday's 11-race card -- no punter being able to produce a winning Reggae 6 ticket -- resulting in a $6-million carryover. This adds to a $5.2-million single-winner bonus to start this weekend's Saturday-Sunday meet, which ends with a mandatory payout on Sunday.

Smart punters would have heeded the warning to ignore form among $180,000 claimers at four furlongs straight, making it no surprise when SCHLESINGER won the opening event at 7-2, turning tables on 8-5 favourite BOSS IZZY and BEAUTIFUL BRAN, who had finished ahead of the eight-year-old in his previous three races.

REGNANT making all at 6-1 in the second event, rallying to turn back 4-5 favourite UNRULY DUDE, still wouldn't have crashed sceptical bettors. Similarly, 4-1 chance SUGAR SUGAR reverting to the round course in an easier pace at six and a half furlongs in the third, after being outsped at five furlongs straight was routine handicapping.

However, WILSON, considered an all-round banker in the fourth for $550,000 claimers, having clocked 1:14.1 to beat the level when last raced in May, left punters puzzled and scratching heads after being announced as a late non-starter.

RHOSA THE WARRIOR, third run off a six-month break, answered those questions with a gate-to-wire win at odds of 8-1, turning tables, flipping the Reggae 6 on its head.

Last Thursday's advice to press the 'all' button in the fifth -- an event for older maidens ridden by trainee jockeys without whips -- would have come in handy for surviving bets. However, even if heeded, netting HANDYMAN at 4-1 was eventually upended by 7-2 market-springer CASUAL TREASURE, who crashed all Reggae 6 bets in division two of the Jockeys' Training School Race.

A shot at Saturday's Reggae 6 guarantees a start of $11 million -- last Saturday's $6-million carryover in addition to the $5-million single-winner bonus. With Sunday's mandatory payout looming, punters could dive in with $6 million, hoping to get ahead of the crowd on Saturday.