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Rookie Armaan Khan stole the day's honours with a narrow victory astride Elegant Road in the Bad Deal Handicap run over seven furlongs. Unfazed by the fact that he had to take the bend five wide as a result of the pacemaker Grand Pere drifting out, Armaan kept pushing his mount all the way down the straight. He ultimately collared Firing Power close home. The pair of fancied runners Tatler and Malaga Music were prominent till the distance post but faded out thereafter. The afternoon's main event, The Access All Areas Cup, saw Vijay Singh-trained Afforce stride away for a near five-length triumph after shaking off Over The Limit opposite the grandstand. The latter seems to have picked up a disconcerting habit of heading for the outer rails after heads turn for home. He lost valuable ground but would most probably have lost even if he had maintained a straight course. Rather surprisingly, the speedster Zephyr failed to figure on the board. After a sedate start to the afternoon, which saw Daniel David-trained Golden Celebration come good at cramped odds, there was action of a all sorts in the very next event. The public choice Sea Legend is known to have unruly gate-manners. As the gates opened, he ran riderless, with his hapless rider Amil left in the stalls. Stablemate Grand Ceremony was first past the winning post. The race was, however, declared null and void. Trainer Deepak Karki and his patron Ajay Jalan were at the receiving end of this 'starting gate fiasco' as their horse Grand Ceremony won fair and square. They nevertheless had cause to cheer when their Stride To Strike was powerfully guided to a half-length triumph over Silent Hunter in the Citibank Handicap. The five-year-old gelding had finished a good third the day before and given indication that he would lap up the extra furlong. The curtain came down on two days of racing with the three-year-old maiden filly Avalona pulling off a huge gamble for her connections. Sired by Gaswar out of Extreme Contact, she collared Cobble Court quite easily at the distance post to send punters home on a happy note. |
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