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Five totally unfancied runners in a card of six events was more than what they could have bargained for on the opening day after a hiatus of two and half months. To make matters worse, as the main Members Stand is under renovation, there was nowhere to accommodate the hapless beings who were being drubbed by both the rain and the bookmakers. As a result, large gatherings watched the races on television screens under a bit of shelter – live racing indeed! Dull skies and sporadic downpours signalled the commencement of the rainy-weather season. The rage of the ring in the Maid of Athens Handicap was apprentice G. Adarsh’s mount, Spirited Star. The filly did not seem to care for the somewhat heavy going and chased the speedy Helegonia for a major portion of the way. From an inside draw, John Stephens-trained Blood Rayne was racing third along the rails. Islam’s hard riding made the difference at the crucial juncture. While Spirited Star lost position, Blood Rayne collared Helegonia quite comfortably.
Apprentices garnered plenty of support during the afternoon but none could deliver the goods barring I. Khan atop Diomedes in the main event, the Alamito Cup. His 3-5 kg allowance swung the pendulum in favour of the Javed Khan-trained ward who cut a scorching pace with the public choice Queen of Hearts till the distance post before edging ahead. Exclusivity ran on to occupy the runner-up berth while Queen of Hearts fell back to third. Another fancied runner, Lycia Falcon, may have found the trip a trifle sharp and may fare better with the help of this lung-opener.
The second race of the day, The Dancing Leaves Handicap, saw Chitrita (earlier known as Shaheen) close as the favourite. Despite apprentice Mahesh’s urgings, the filly ran a miserable race. Farley Rodrigues-trained Scorsese shot out of the gates like a scalded cat and raced in front all the way. The second favourite Swiss King was in touch with the leader right through but Surjeet Singh atop the front-runner ensured he maintained the advantage with some hard riding. Betelgeuse prefers a longer trip and moved late to occupy the third slot.
The Idaho Handicap saw Cromwell and Apostrophe garnering most of the support. While the former ran his normal race and hit the front almost immediately, the top-weight Apostrophe appeared to be sluggish. Bharath Singh-trained King Cole was racing second all the way till opposite the grand stand. Thereafter, Islam went flat out on the sprinter and gained the day atop this 10-to-one shot close home. Apostrophe finished well to be third.
Jockey Christopher Alford was lauded by the appreciative crowd before the running of the Jeweller Handicap for his brilliant win atop Aboline in the Bangalore Derby run last Sunday. The ace rider did not disappoint his followers astride Romantic Quest who was surprisingly available at 4/1. The favourite Pocket Rocket was yet another miserable failure from trainer Arti Doctor’s yard. Glenbervie with apprentice Israil on top very nearly pulled off an upset victory. However, Alford’s riding on Romantic Quest made the difference when it mattered.
Ironically, it was Arti Doctor-trained Sparta who finally gave the punters something to cheer about before going home. She made every post a winning one in the hands of jockey Rajinder without too much trouble. Forest Music was the unlikely runner-up.
