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| SUGAR RAY |
The Kempegowda Cup, a sprint race for three year olds was slated as the main event of the afternoon. Arjun's Kyles Of Bute and Pesi Shroff trained Sugar Ray were installed as the joint favourites in a small field of four runners. Because of the soft underfoot conditions, punters were seen going nap on Sugar Ray. The reason for their optimism was the breeding of Kyles Of Bute. According to them, anything bred by Glory Of Dancer underperforms in such going. The terms of the race saw Sugar Ray carrying three kilos less than Kyles Of Bute. With no-hopers Mighty Heart and Lotus Leaf making the early running, the two fancied runners were held back for a final assault. Chris Hayes on Sugar Ray was seen looking for better ground on the outer portion of the track, while John tried to save ground and brought Kyles Of Bute towards the inner rails. The two of them soon pulled clear of their opponents and fought a grim battle. Sugar Ray was always travelling the better of the two, and soon pulled clear to win with a measure of comfort. Chris Hayes rode a near perfect race on the winner and announced his return to India.
Hayes completed a popular double by riding another power-packed finish astride Arjun Mangalorkar trained Cart Wheel. The last race in the day's card saw huge support for this favourite, while the odds against Calming Influence began to drift rapidly. The two of them had clashed a few months ago, on almost similar terms, wherein Cart Wheel had proved to be far superior to Calming Influence. The speedy Gris Rapide made the early running and led from Ever So Clever, Cart Wheel and Calming Influence. The fancied runners were expecting the early leader to slow down and were waiting to make their moves. They panicked thereafter, as Gris Rapide began to lengthen his strides and looked like landing the spoils. Chris Hayes pulled out the stick near the 300 metres marker and began to urge Cart Wheel. This brave horse must be given credit for making up so much ground in unhelpful conditions. Cart Wheel came with a powerful run to collar Gris Rapide near the winning post. Calming Influence plodded on to be third ahead of Astounding Bay. The last named was looking a bit gross in the paddock, and should benefit from this outing.
The other feature in the day's proceedings was Suraj Narredu's treble. He made it five for the weekend and is well on his way to become the undisputed champion at this centre. His treble included a couple of winners for his father Satish Narredu. Both these victories were hard fought and gained near the winning post. He kicked off the day's programme with a late run on Solitary Champ. The favourite Chilli Chocolate had done most of the running and was clear of the rest as they entered the final furlong of this race. Solitary Champ was her nearest challenger. The front runner shortened her strides suddenly,and surrendered the lead to her persuer. Suraj kept pushing Solitary Champ to stave off a belated challenge from Girl Next Door.
His job was a little tougher on Luminous Gold. This speedy customer was a bit unfortunate to get caught in a traffic problem on the inner rails, and had to held back for eventual speed. Luminous Gold proved his superiority by finishing powerfully and beating Noble Kingdom near the winning post. A better rider on Noble Kingdom would have altered this result. Sunny Baba flattered to decieve as he led and packed up near the distance post. He has been running some unimpressive races and should be left alone for a while. The one to impress in this race was Puttanna's Lester. He was seen loitering at the rear end of the field, before finishing an unextended third at the end. He can be supported with confidence on a day when there is right money riding on him. Suraj's third win astride Shoot A Rainbow was achieved with minimal effort. He took the filly to the front and dictated terms till the end. Jersey Rock came in for some heavy punishment while finishing second. The rest of the runners were totally outclassed.
A nice gamble was landed by trainer Samar Singh for the owner of Excellent Speed. This four year old had run an impressive second in his last start in Mysore. On that occasion, he had been seriously disturbed by a "faller" in that race. Excellent Speed was entrusted to apprentice Ashok Kumar and was made to carry the lowest weight amongst a dozen starters. With a minimal effort, Excellent Speed was taken to the front and stayed there till the very end. Mangalya Prarambh made a late bid but the top weight proved to be a dampner. Jockey Saleem Golam rode a nice race on the runner-up and left a good impression on the racegoers. Sudden Thunder came from the rear to run a good third. Madam Rich was a firm favourite in this race, and she could do no better than finish a poor fourth.
The consistant Spicy Star finally entered the winner's enclosure with another start to finish effort in the hands of Samuel Fargeat. Neil Darashah produced him looking extremely well in the paddock and he ran accordingly. Favourite Raptor Force put up a dull performance while finishing a late second. He stumbled at a crucial stage of the race. The other runner from the Byramji camp, On The Dot, ran a forward race while finishing third, and can be earmarked for an early success in her own age group.
The top stable of trainer Ganapathy is yet to get into its stride in the current season. It is an uncommon sight when one realizes that this camp has had only three winners in the first five days of racing at this centre. Winner number three came in the form of Queen's Guest, who emerged an easy winner of a sprint race for horses in Class II. Rare and Precious had opened as a firm favourite in this race but was soon displaced by Queens Guest. The support was well-placed, as Prakash was seen guiding her to an effortless victory. Strong Minded and Classical Dancer were able to save place money. Rare and Precious had been gelded less than a month ago, and that seemed to have affected his fitness. He should be a different proposition in his next start.
