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| The six-event mid-week card turned out to be quite lucrative for punters at the end of the day. Three of the races were claimed by favourites available at decent odds. The fourth favourite was Admires in the afternoon's final event which was at unplayable cramped odds. A couple of outsiders who found backers from among 'those in the know' Completed the day's proceedings. The day commenced with Bold Reply thumping the opposition in the BOL Publication Cup. The Darius Byramji-trained chestnut mare proved that her earlier win was no flash in the pan. Top-weight Storming Success, a close second favourite, may have found his weight a stopper. He did make a serious attempt to close the gap on Christopher Alford's mount after the latter took over the running from Precede at the turn, but found the ultimate winner travelling too well to cause any damage. The second race, The Easter Parade Plate for three-year-olds, saw Aarti Doctor's Bach attracting a large bulk of the punters' money. However, those who had seen the run of the filly Xray last week (when she went down narrowly to Apyrous) opted for her. The Javed Khan ward did not disappoint as, despite an outside draw, she made every post a winning one in the hands of Imran Chisty. She was available at 5/2. The afternoon's first shocker came in the form of Aeropostale in the Immaculate Handicap. The grey had displayed no semblance of form during the monsoon or in his only outing this season prior to this race. Trainer John Stephens is known to produce an ace up his sleeve every now and then and the wily schooler decided that this was the right occasion. Jockey Aharwal used the inside draw to make it a start to finish affair. Fancied runners Hymn Star and Disco Star were simply outpaced by the front-runner. The former nevertheless finished runner-up. The RCTC Gold Vase had only four in the fray. Despite the 60kg on his back, Right Ahead and A. Imran Khan made mincemeat of the other three runners. The fifth race, the Legal Steps handicap, was not a cleanly run race as the favourite Light My Fire failed to find a clear passage in the straight. Vignet shifted off a straight course as is his wont. The Deepak Karki-trained Carlito, with Tauseef Ahmed astride, was the surprise package. Admaris and Christopher Alford completed the day's proceedings without any trouble at all. This was Admaris third win of the season. CHRISTOPHER'S APPEAL: Jockey Christopher Alford has appealed against his suspension as he is keen to ride Romantic Tactics in the Derby. The latter, a property of the Samurai Syndicate, is likely to make a late entry with fees of Rs 9 lakh. It is reliably learnt that the south India challenger Abs Fabs will follow suit. With the winner's purse swelling to a record Rs 60 lakh, the gamble seems well worth it for both these runners. |
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