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The race finally turned out to be tailor-made for Sprint Star. While each one of the fancied runners floundered in the race, the normally speedy Sprint Star decided to run kindly for Mallesh. He settled down in midfield, took the openings as they appeared, quickened nicely in the straight and lasted out under the whip to go past the winning post ahead of the others. Aboline took a good jump and led briefly before Wayne Smith rushed D'artagnan to the front, and led within the first furlong of the race. D'artagnan's connections seemed to have decided that they needed to break the early rhythm of Aboline, and not permit the favourite to run leisurely in front. Aboline, Superb Style, Alacrity, Bourbon Bay and Sprint Star followed in close order as they took the rising ground and turned for home. Two things became very clear at this stage. D'artagnan began to slow down, and confirmed that the front-running tactics were beyond his capabilities. Aboline began to roll sideways under pressure, and showed that he only likes to run in front at his own pace. Any amount of cajoling from Christopher Alford wasn't enough to make a difference. Mallesh brought Sprint Star with a smooth run on the wide outside and the chestnut gelding strode clear of the field. Aboline tried his best to challenge him, but the efforts weren't good enough. A superb late dash from Leonardo deprived Aboline of the runner-up berth. Bourbon Bay ambled into fourth place.
The announcement of the result was greeted with stunned silence. The first two past the post were rated way below the others. Sprint Star had won only once over 1,200 metres, while Leonardo was yet to win a maidens race. The two had performed superbly to edge out their more illustrious peers. The Narredu brothers were ecstatic with this result. They seemed to have struck Gold with the winner. For Satish, who has won many Classics at Bangalore as a jockey, this was the first time that he had saddled a Colts Trial Stakes winner at this centre. For Mallesh, it was another routine day in the office. After Jacqueline last week, this was his second Classic in eight days. He has been riding brilliantly in the last few years, and it is a treat to watch him on a horse that responds to his urgings. In a post-race interview with Indiarace, Mallesh said, "Sprint Star was travelling nicely at the bend. I saw D'artagnan and Aboline getting tired at that stage of the race. I decided to come on their outside and went past them comfortably. I had to ride Sprint Star vigorously thereafter to keep him going. I am very happy for my brother and the owners of this stout hearted horse. The Derby will be a much tougher race. I shall be partnering Jacqueline in that race. She is a top Class filly."
For the Sohna Stud Farm, this was a memorable week. After Jacqueline's success last week, this was a double for the farm. Today's was a maiden Classic win for a runner sired by Ontario.
The other attraction in a long nine-event card was the running of The Stewards Cup. The sprint race for horses in the highest class was considered to be a toss-up between Spirituall and Aquitaine. The two of them had finished alongside in their last start. With Pesi Shroff deciding to claim an allowance on Spirituall, and asking apprentice Parmar to ride him, the balance seemed to favour this runner. To the dismay of his many supporters, Spirituall walked out of the gates, and was seen gracing the rear end of a closely packed field. Suraj and Aquitaine did the normal front running, and brought the runners into view. While Aquitaine carried on his good work, Spirituall had to weave his way through a bunch of tired horses. He came with a nice run, but was a neck shy at the wire. The runner-up must be given another chance, if he decides to run again this season. Jersey Pride showed his old form to run a close third.
Suraj thus completed a double for the afternoon, as he had won the day's opener with Southern Magic. Running in an age group race, Southern Magic was too good for the rest, and checked in many lengths ahead of Badge Of Honour to give Lokanath a popular winner. Padmanabhan's Dante's Peak and S Singh's Lady Duff posted similar victories in their respective races. Both of them won by widening margins. These winners justified the confidence of the racing public and won effortlessly. The handicapper is bound to take notice of these outstanding performances.
A wonderful display of riding came from P S Chouhan. Riding trainer Mangalorkar's first favourite Algiers, Chouhan displayed a cool temperament in this race. Algiers is a known to start slowly from the gates. The horse was more lethargic today, as he refused to raise a gallop after jumping out. Chouhan had to give him a few cracks to get him moving. He was racing a detached last nearing the bend, and his fans had lost all hopes of collecting on him. Algiers began to inch forward and gained ground with every stride. Under a forceful ride from Chouhan, Algiers collared the front runners and posted a significant victory. Superyacht showed good form to run an impressive second.
Arjun Mangalorkar's Shotgunn justified favouritism in the only maidens race of the day. There was a strong tip on Michael Eshwer's Ice Mint. He was supposed to an expensive purchase as a baby, and people had been waiting for him to run. On the other hand, Shotgunn had brilliant credentials. In his only run in winter, he had finished way ahead of Youre So Beautiful and Lady Duff. Both these runners had performed creditably thereafter. Ice Mint showed early speed ahead of Shotgunn, and seemed to be travelling well within himself as they came near the two furlong marker. All of a sudden, Ice Mint began to send out distress signals and slowed down significantly. This enabled Shotgunn to skip away from Russian Dancer and Glitterato. The last named was the most impressive runner in this race. He was racing for the first time in his career, and finished-on from the rear. Glitterato's acceleration was remarkable, and he can be noted for an early success.
The only other race in the day's card produced a thriller. It was a handicap race for horses in Class IV. A few three-year olds were participating in this event. Prasanna Kumar's Spark Of Oldenburg was backed with supreme confidence. The stable has been firing on all cylinders, and the public refused to be left behind. Samar Singh's Black Beauty led by many lengths at the bend, while Mighty Prince and Spark Of Oldenburg were under pressure to narrow the gap. The front-runner began to shorten her strides while her pursuers were gaining ground on her. The three runners were locked together at the post. The judge confirmed that even money favourite Spark Of Oldenburg had won narrowly from Black Beauty and Mighty Prince.
