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| It took him nine months to find the winning ways. He came with a bang and rest became history. He is BRAHMAPUTRA. He celebrated his come back with a new course record by demolishing the class one field in the Champion Sprinters Cup at the Delhi Race Course on Thursday. Trainer Roopendra Singh Shekhawat and his nephew jockey Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared a brace each. The Delhi classic (2000 Guineas and Derby) duel winner colt Brahmaputra had tasted his last victory in the North India Derby. Earlier, his outstanding turn of foot had forced the owners Gautam Thapar and Sultan Singh to face the top notched rivals in the Champions Sprinters Cup during the Indian Turf Invitation weekend at the Malakpet Race course, Hyderabad. He ran bravely but he became the victim of ill-fated luck as his shoe came off in the process of competition. His luck continued to run out during the Bangalore summer season where he placed once in as many three outings. But his moral was never let down by the trainers under whom he improved leaps and bound. Hardly, there was a doubt about his potential but seeing his few canters, it was too early to say until he set the course on fire by stopping the watch at 0.58 seconds over five furlongs in a barrier trial a week ago. Going by the outstanding trial, he simply became the talk of the town and a new sprint record was expected. He landed the expectations by erasing the previous record of DEGAS; he had set 14 months ago, by bettering it with 72 of 1000 seconds – 1 minute: 10.19 seconds. The four-year-old colt Brahmaputra, who had enabled trainer Aleem Khan his first jewel of the crown event (Derby), had not to sweat en route to victory. He started the campaign on a tight rein and signed off in the same style. The connections should definitely make a new strategy for the "return of the champion". Under the shadow of his performance, the rest of five had nothing to offer. Roopendra Singh Shekhawat-trained and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat-ridden Ashwa Pragya (late Raging Cauvery) came out of the maiden status in the Sail Away Plate. Her victory was welcomed with clappings by Mrs Anita Chauhan and her family while, many raised their eyebrows as the filly was not sighted on the board 48 hours ago. Young Anna, despite making a quick dash initially, failed to get into action at the time of need playing the role of second fiddle. The filly should make amends. The winning combination of Shekhawat and Chauhan earned their second achievement of the day through Spicy Move. The four-year-old filly looked to be in a hurry as she had taken the charge of four-horse field at 800 metres by displacing the eventual runner-up Vanilla Sky, whose jockey lost his whip soon after the jump. The latter could have easily turned the table on the former. A speedy Black Chetak ran true to his name by emerging victorious in the upper division of the Diamond Lad Plate. The bay gelding is still not in his shape. The win definitely works as a healing therapy for him. The winner of the lower division of the race was decided by the stewards who accepted the plea of jockey Ram Parvesh, whose mount Before You (originally ran second) was badly hampered by the then victor Dream Debut in the final furlong. The former, who had lost his shoe before being headed out by Sam Aldo a couple of day ago, has shed his shape and fitness as well. The guilty Dream Debut could have won easily even if jockey Irfan Ali had opted to make a run "three wide" in stead of poking through High Opinion and Before You. Deepak Kalra's trainee Paramount brought the curtain down on the six small field fixture. |
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