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| Palazzio's Sun |
The Rajah SRK Ranga Rao Memorial Cup was the added attraction in the day's card. The Class III race saw some talented youngsters making their appearance in open company. Angelfire, Oban, Youre So Beautiful, Superb Style and Topkapi were amongst the nine acceptors. Youre So Beautiful had won a maidens event on the opening day of the season. The handicapper had been truly impressed by her performance, as he had rated her higher than Oban, who incidentally was a winner of two starts. The Neil Darashah camp seemed to be sure of her chances, as they refused to look beyond her while making their bets and slammed her down to first favouritism. Closer to racetime, a late surge of money on Angelfire saw the two fillies reaching the gates as joint favourites. Jockey PS Chouhan was a picture of confidence as he settled Youre So Beautiful in second place behind Topkapi and ahead of Angelfire till they took the final bend. He asked his filly to quicken thereafter and the response was immediate. Youre So Beautiful lengthened her strides and sailed away from a late finishing Oban. Superb Style was a faraway third while Double Elite filled the rest of the frame. Angelfire seems to be a morning glory as she has taken down a lot of money in her two starts this season. She may win a sprint later in her career. The winner clocked a good timing and won impressively. Her remarkable improvement is a compliment to Neil Darashah.
Chouhan had won an earlier event with Amit Caddy's Bid For Glory. The first start seems to be her best start, as she had won on her first appearance during the winter season. She had been unable to figure on board in her five subsequent starts. She had a formidable opponent in Arjun Mangalorkar's Express It, who was partnered by Rajendra. Express It had successively let down his fans during the winter, and they were looking to recoup their losses today. Both the runners were solidly supported and the race seemed to be confined to the two of them. Chouhan made the first run with Bid For Glory as he overtook Glory Bound and charged for home. Express It appeared on the wide outside and challenged strongly. Despite Rajendra's best efforts, they failed in their mission to collar Bid For Glory, who finally triumphed by a neck. In the final analysis, it was the wide draw of the favourite which cost him the race. Express It was caught wide throughout the race. You and I came with impressive strides to finish a close third. He is the one for your notebook, as he is capable of winning a similar event later in the season.
The opening race saw a few eyebrows being raised prior to the race itself. The odds against the on-money favourite Ruby Legend began to rise alarmingly. The three-year old was running against a bunch of non-performers, and racegoers were unable to comprehend the reason for this generosity being shown by the bookmakers. The odds climbed four fold by closing at 3/1, against an opening quote of 70/100. The bookmakers, like more often than not, were proved right. Imran Khan kept the gelding in a poor position before bringing him with a late run to take the second spot. Rank outsider Aston Park held on to win this race. The stewards have asked the stipes to enquire into the running of this horse. Fancied Star League burst a blood vessel and finish last of all.
The two divisions of the Everynsky Trophy, a maidens race over 1,200 metres, saw the favourites romping home in effortless fashion. Their jobs were made easier, as the second favourites in both these events were withdrawn at the starting gates. Best Time and Calypso Star were the two non-starters. Coincidentally, both these horses were supposed to be ridden by Suraj Narredu. While Best Time dropped him and ran riderless on his way to the gates, Calypso Star refused to go anywhere near the starting stalls. Half-money favourites Modern Art and Greenbro scored runaway victories. Padmanabhan's Modern Art won by a distance, while Greenbro scored comfortably over a late finishing Advantage Logan. The last named should benrfit from her maiden start and strip fitter in the future.
The last race of the day saw one-sided support for Dhariwals Act Of Duty. He was the only one with some sort of form, and in the hands of Breux, was slammed down in the ring. His supporters must have had their hearts in their mouth, as Walter stole a march and seemed to have wrapped up this race. Jockey Krishnan had pulled out his stick on Walter, and was hammering away to glory. The leader buckled under such heavy pounding, and was caught by the favourite in the last few strides of this race. To the relief of his fans, Act Of Duty won by half a length. It is amusing to note that these antics on the race track seem to miss the attention of the Senior Stipe at BTC. Two glaring examples of heavy whipping went unreported today. While Walter was whipped 25 times, Double Elite received 14 cracks. Both these incidents were not even brought to the notice of the authorities.
