In The Zone Puts up a Speedy Display |
| With scanty rainfall in recent months, the local race track at Mysore has become extremely dry. It isn't unusual to see fast timings in races for horses in the lower categories. Many track records have been set and reset in the last few weeks. Most of these feats are credited to horses rated 80 and above. One such performance was witnessed in The YR Puttannaiah Memorial Gold Cup, the feature event in Thursday's race card at Mysore. Amit Caddy's In The Zone carried the heavy impost of 60.5 Kilos to a resounding success over this sprint, and in the process, eclipsed a record set by Associator less than a month ago. Since this was the first time that the winner was running under the charge of his new trainer, he can be expected to improve and go higher in the rating charts. He ran a well settled race and the timing was brilliant. The bookmakers were extremely careful while opening the odds for this race. In The Zone was quoted at a miserly 80/100 in morning trade, but a rush of support for Victory Verse saw the two of them reaching the starting gates as joint favourites. The other eight seemed to be there only to make the numbers, and you could write your own card on them. The speedy pair of Ansonia and Eona set a scorching pace in front, and Gaurav Sapra was able to settle In The Zone behind them. The horse was travelling nice and easy till they took the final turn. Prakash on Victory Verse was content to track him till that stage. The front-runners began to tire and drifted towards the centre of the track. This presented a dream opportunity to In The Zone who was sticking close to the rails. Gaurav asked him to quicken and the game horse responded immediately. In The Zone lengthened his strides and sped away for a comfortable victory over a hard ridden Victory Verse. The two of them were a distance clear of a tired Danger Diabolic. The early fast pace was partially responsible for the record getting altered. This victory completed a double for trainer Amit Caddy, who had already won the day's opener with Simply Dangerous. PS Chouhan had an easy time guiding his mount to victory in a sprint race for horses in the lowest class. Strongly fancied Commanche War Paint was withdrawn close to starting time. Chouhan took Simply Dangerous to the front and was never headed till the end. He was getting stronger at the finish, thus indicating his liking for a slightly longer trip. He is in good nick, and another success in a similar set looks like a distinct possibility. Gaurav Sapra was the other professional to score a double. He roused a lazy Mauritius Star in the concluding event of the day ,to get up on the last stride and pip Regal Image on the post. The lead changed hands on numerous occasions in this race. Minchu, Regal Image and Wellington had their opportunities before Mauritius Star arrived on the scene. The winning margin was only a nose. The jockey was expected to score another point with Nityanand's Rule Of Attraction. The three-year-old filly had worked brilliantly and was supported with confidence. She was looking well in the paddock. To the dismay of her numerous supporters, Rule Of Attraction refused to come out of the starting gates. A helpless Gaurav Sapra was a mute spectator. Suraj Narredu took Amiable Lady to the front and she proved to be far superior to her rivals. The filly wasn't unduly extended to keep Mighty Monarch at bay. Fancied High Gleam ran leisurely into third place. The Mrs Ammani Ramachandran Memorial Cup was the other attraction in the day's card. The mile event for horses five years old and over attracted a full complement of a dozen acceptors. This included Robert Foley's Southern Chieftan and Neil Darashah's Badge Of Honour. It was billed as a match race between these two runners. It is difficult to understand the reason for Southern Chieftan's popularity. Apart from being well-bred (Placerville-Stunning), he has hardly any other claim to fame. He last won a race about two years ago. He has been the public choice on numerous occasions thereafter, and has let down his followers on each one of them. It isn't easy to remember another horse who has taken down so much of the punter's money. He was supported once again on Thursday, and on this occasion, stopped like a pricked balloon. Southern Chieftan was unable to figure on the board. The winner Badge Of Honour was given a smooth ride by Suraj Narredu, who rode him with patience. They sat third for most of the way before assuming command in the straight. Badge Of Honour won easily from Shisham and the ever consistent Hidalgo. Three-year-old Youre A Legend changed hands a few weeks ago. The horse was gelded in recent times and had shown an improvement in form. He had been prepared carefully and was spot-on for today's race. He was slammed off the boards, and his price shortened from 2/1 to a miserly 80/100. Youre A Legend was entrusted to B L Paswan, who has been short of winners in recent times. However, this ride was a piece of cake for him. He eased the horse into an early lead and never looked back thereafter. Youre A Legend was never off the bridle while cantering home for an effortless victory. He is bound to improve after this run and should be supported with confidence in his next start. Cruise Control and Star Blue filled the rest of the frame. Ganapathy's Star Bright was the other winner in the day's card. The three-year-old had run close on the haunches of Red Renegade in one of her starts during summer. She was entered in an ordinary handicap event, wherein she was set to receive weight from all her older rivals. She started as a money-back favourite to win this race. Prakash had an armchair ride to victory as Star Bright powered away from Veda Priya and Nermai. The distance verdict was a compliment to the horses that ran behind her. Star Bright has a good future and is destined to climb much higher in the charts. |
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