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In the day’s second event, The Topspin Handicap for youngsters, Rithambra and Royal Dance shared the bets. Jasbir Singh-trained Rithambra, a recent import from Delhi, had the benefit of a mock race which had impressed punters. However, the filly had never before carried weight and this may have told on her. Kadam on Castle Queen gave the field the slip after Secret Gallop had called the early shots. Christopher Alford alerted Royal Dance to the task in the straight and the three-year-old colt by Royal Kingdom out of Dance With Bertie responded well to his call. He galloped resolutely to get the better of the filly close home.
Errol Bhungard’s Master Marvel finally produced a marvellous gallop in the straight to bag the Heiress Handicap from a fast finishing Firing Power. Bottom-weighted Protection set the early pace but was overtaken by Gallant Commander in the straight. Jockey A Imran Khan brought Master Marvel from a difficult position to notch up a hard-fought victory.
Despite heavy rain before the fourth race, The Sweet Surprise Handicap run over seven furlongs, it was the two four-year-olds Grey Glory and India Jones who cornered all the betting. It was, however, the aged and experienced Armstrong who revelled on the wet track and produced a winning gallop to hand leap-year jockey Gajender Singh his first win of the season.
Prospective Lad was backed down to on-money in the race for the Siranoosh Cup. The sprinter appeared all at sea on the wet track. Apprentice Md Shabbani rode a highly competent race on top-weight Super Flash to land the spoils. Focus challenged the David ward in the straight but the latter was travelling too well, enough to elicit a gesture of delight from Shabbani as he passed the winning post.
The closing odds of Sparta in the day’s final event, The La Gitana Handicap, was 6/4. The Arti Doctor-trained sprinter rather surprisingly failed to hit the front early. Instead apprentice Md Sameer somewhat cleverly sat astride the five-year-old mare behind the front-running pair of Cromwell and King Cole till the distance post where she had to pick up a late gallop along the outer rails to get the better of the latter. The disappointment in the race was Orlando Bloom who was never in the hunt and finished dead last. Incidentally, his odds had expanded from 5/2 o 9/2. Bravo for Hollywood, chivalry is not dead yet, even among pirates!
