O'Donoghue Pays a Memorable Visit
By Epsom Ace

Kolkata, Dec 9, 2007

Colm O'Donoghue, the frontline foreign jockey of the Daniel David yard, made it a memorable Saturday for his followers at the Calcutta racecourse. After piloting the 1000 Guineas winner Classic Sky to a facile victory in the Maharajadhiraja Uday Chand Mahtab Of Burdwan Memorial Cup, O'Donoghue produced a couple of masterly rides astride Regent Appeal and Star Team. The last named picked up the afternoon's plum, the 2000 Guineas, in great style. Though the verdict was only a neck, it was the confident manner in which O'Donoghue piloted his mount that won him a standing ovation.

Azureus set a scorching pace till the bend before Steal The Glory tried to live up to his name by making a rails run in the straight. Mallesh Narredu had Regal Connection at 'The Glory's' side in a jiffy and the duo was engaged in a neck to neck battle till 75 metres from home, at which point O'Donoghue set Star Team alight. The son of Alnasr Alwasheek out Pleasures devoured ground in the closing stages and stopped the clock at a marvellous 1 min 37.624 sec. There is no doubt that more will be heard of this big-hearted colt in the future.

It was an afternoon that ace rider Mallesh Narredu might want to forget. He fell victim to O'Donoghue's wiles twice within a space of 90 minutes. Earlier in the day, the Irishman annexed the Horendro Kristo Dutt Memorial Cup astride Regent Appeal after Narredu and Conquering Love tried to run away with the race.

O'Donoghue very cleverly nudged his mount ahead before executing a delicate and 'gentle squeeze' near home. A furious Narredu objected on the grounds that the winner came onto him but his cries of protest held no water with the Stewards.

Trainer Rashid Byramji may not have been present at the racecourse but his wards Havana and Conde Nast left a lasting impression on visitors as they made a mockery of the local stock in the Bengal Area Cup run over a mile.

The public choice Imperial Romance, Vijay Singh-trained Arythia and recent winner Razor Sharp, all ran lacklustre races. The Byramji-trained duo from Mysore was locked in a ding-dong battle till Conde Nast (Surender Singh up) settled the issue.