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The race was run at a fairly comfortable pace with Prakash and Liberty Speaks making the early running and showing the way to Gershwin, Cassandra, Boston Ranger and the others. The order remained more or less the same till the runners began to straighten for home. Liberty Speaks began to tire and drifted off the rails at this stage. Gnaneshwar was quick to seize the opportunity and lost no time in pushing Gershwin through this dream opening. Gershwin quickened nicely and with the support of the inside rails looked like drawing away from the rest. However, Suraj refused to give up and brought Cassandra into the fray. With whips flying and the jockeys riding at their best, the two runners were almost abreast as they flashed past the winning post. Gershwin got the nod ahead of Cassandra. Liberty Speaks ended a close third.
The other notable performance during the afternoon came from Bipin Salvi's Saddler's Glory. The three-year-old was withdrawn on a couple of occasions earlier this season, prior to making his debut exactly a month ago. He had given notice of his abilities by scoring as a rank outsider on that day. Bipin had been encouraged by the said performance, wherein the horse had accelerated nicely from the rear and got stronger at the finish. He decided to tackle a longer trip with his charge. The Bottolanda Gold Cup was a mile race for horses in Class III. Last outing winner Flower Alley was the rage in this race. The filly had run a couple of brilliant races this season. The presence of jockey Srinath in the saddle today added to the aura around this three-year-old. To the delight of her numerous supporters, Flower Alley led into the straight. She was travelling well within herself at this stage. Gaurav Sapra brought Saddlers Glory on the wide outside and joined issue with the leader. After a brief struggle, Saddler's Glory seized the initiative and scored in a close finish. The unlucky runner in this race was Theworldismine. He was given a poor ride by Appu. The jockey was unable to keep him on an even keel and offered little assistance from the saddle. The horse was full of running while ending a close third. Theworldismine will be too good to miss in the Winter Season. The winner has scored back- to-back victories this season, and he too will be a force to reckon with in the coming months.
The Hyderabad Race Club Gold Cup was the last opportunity for maidens to score in a terms race this year. Many Bangalore based horse decided to make the trip. In the end, Mr President proved to be too good for his opponents. With Real Magic doing her customary front running, Suraj was content to keep Mr President at the back. The horse came with raking strides thereafter, and scored easier than the official verdict of a shade under four lengths. He is likely to improve from his present mark, and may turn out to be a good handicapper in the future. Majestic Strides and on-money favourite Handsome Falcon filled the rest of the frame.
Another Class III race for horses four years old and over was split into two divisions. The seven-furlong trip was ideally suited to the style and running of Royal Bank. The horse was entrusted to PS Chouhan, and the boy rode a copybook race on this favourite. He took a smart jump and occupied the box-seat for most of the way. Royal Bank came alongside early leader Duckworth before passing him with ease. The jockey had the luxury of relaxing his mount much before the final post. Tantrik came from the rear to push back Refresh into fourth place.
The lower division saw the eclipse of Arks Angel. The Robert Foley trained filly was a good performer in Western India. She was expected to dominate this race, but was found wanting at the end. She caved in without a fight and allowed rank outsider Always For You to score in a blanket finish from front runner Redford and Super Sha. The last named has shown a glimpse of his old form, and must be followed in his future starts.
The day started with a couple of divisions of a race for horses in the lowest class. Both these events were won by horses fancied ahead of the others. Madhu Babu ridden Lucky Look carried the public purse to a narrow win. Flower made a bold effort to shoulder her featherweight to a start to finish victory. She was unable to sustain that effort and gave way to the favourite at the end. Stillato made a late charge from the back to take the third spot. The upper division saw Time To Sparkle making every post a winning one. Vijay Kumar had failed in a similar mission last week when he had been collared by Attaturk. There was no such problem today, as Time To Sparkle proved to be much too powerful for Rain God and Gracian.
The jockey-trainer combination of Gaurav Sapra and Bipin Salvi had a lot to rejoice after the last race in the day's card. After the earlier victory with Saddler's Glory, they combined effectively once again to complete a superb double with Look Alike. The aged mare had won her last start, and she was carrying a statutory penalty in the same class today. Look Alike was lucky to get the innermost draw in this sprint and Gaurav rode her with confidence. He nursed the top weight till well into the straight prior to charging for home. Look Alike responded gamely and snuffed out a late challenge from Chamcha In Chief and Sterling Speed.
