|
When the race took a serious turn, White Knight responded readily to jockey Dashrath’s call and caught up with Go Guzzi Go early in the straight. Go Guzzi Go tried to offer some resistance but White Knight had a lot in the tank. He sailed further away and out of reach to post another impressive victory. Go Guzzi Go showed good form too and ended a noteworthy second. Tsesebe had to do too much in the straight but could only cut down the margin. Tsesebe did corner some last minute betting which could indicate that he needs watching the next time. The odds drifted considerably on Cosmopolitan and true to the trend he raised no hope whatsoever.
Trainer Imtiaz Sait jumped to the second spot in the trainers’ tally just one behind Narendra Lagad, who is perched on seven victories so far this season. Imtiaz saddled a lucrative treble starting off from the first race of the day.
Sea Shower (Iktyar - Maman- - Zimbie) provided the ideal start to the Imtiaz camp. Going over the mile trip, Sea Shower shot straight into the lead with nearest rival Blue Melon tracking him. The two prime contenders led the other three opponents all the way until the home turn. Sea Shower was still travelling on a tight leash even as the others were clearly off the bridle. Once into the straight, Sea Shower accelerated powerfully and sped away making it a no-contest. Azul took the second spot by a comfortable margin leaving Blue Melon a long way behind.
Imtiaz’s next strike came with Proud Star (Mr Melon - Star Pride). Whispering Willows, known for her fast initial burst, darted into the lead. Favourite Adams Law and outsider Doctor know were following close behind. Sea Bucaneer and Albuurz were not too far behind with Proud Star making his run a couple of lengths further behind. Whispering Willows tamely surrendered her lead to Doctor No. Soon Proud Star gathered momentum and shot to the front. Adams Law too was close on his heels but only briefly. Proud Star surged away in the final fifty to post a handsome victory.
Imtiaz scored yet in the next race with the speedy Bullet (Major Impact - Euro Star) at the expense of hot favourite Star Empire. Settling third behind Hammerhead and Star Empire, Bullet made rapid progress on the outside and joined Star Empire who had just grabbed the lead. Bullet unleashed a powerful gallop and surged decisively forward and galloped away for a convincing victory. Star Empire was left stunned but finished well ahead of Highland Vision who improved a couple of notches. Star Warrior was the one who covered a lot of ground to end a noteworthy fourth.
Attila (China Visit - Al Dente) outpaced all and sundry to score impressively. Sea Treasure led the field with Highland Music in second. Dear Liza and Attila had each other for company, then came Estavez. Silver Sands was a couple of lengths away. On straightening up, Sea Treasure shifted in and Dear Liza, who was trying to poke through the rails, got blocked. That proved costly for the Shah-trainee as she lost the momentum and could not recover. Meanwhile, Attila got into top gear and flew past a hapless Highland Music who could do little but watch Attila draw further away. Estavez improved to end third and Silver Sands too gained to finish fourth. Dear Liza was definitely unlucky.
Star Future (Diffident Sure Future) showed some class in pulverising his opponents with authority. Always in control of the race, Star Future tracked down the front-runners Check Her Out, Hunter Bay and Finfoot within seconds to figure prominent at the top of the straight. From there on, Star Future galloped resolutely to register one of the finest victories of the day.
Ocean Admiral (China Visit- Accrual) gave the Wadhawan camp their third winner of the day in splendid fashion. Hitting the front soon on start, Ocean Admiral never surrendered the lead and only got stronger in the straight. Ocean Admiral entered the straight on a tight rein. Twin Spice, who was always in chase made an all out effort to try and match strides but Ocean Admiral was simply too good and proved elusive. Starlit Princess improved to run into place money while Daughterofdestiny ran on to take a spot in the frame.
Aqualina (Major Impact - Latino) justified the faith of her followers and earned her maiden victory also providing jockey Dashrath Singh his third winner of the day. Her nearest rival Crème De La Crème was not too alert at the jump but made rapid progress finding her way to the rails with some fortunate gaps in the field. Sepia Tone came into the straight with a pack of horses in hot pursuit. Sepia Tone was soon confronted by Crème De la Crème and Aqualina with Stud of Gold too trying to squeeze through. However, Aqualina warmed up nicely and was easily moving the best. Aqualina pulled away and left the rest to salvage the minor slots. Crème De La Crème ended a good second and Sepia Tone held on stubbornly to earn the place money. Stud of Gold finished a fighting fourth.
Prince Brijendra finally proved his worth and posted his first victory without much fuss. The race was reduced to a three-horse contest, as Chopasni got planted in the gates. Winning Treat led them until the final turn. Drama Queen took the lead while Prince Brijendra also started to make his final move. The duo was involved in a brief tussle before Rajendra piloted Prince Brijendra to surge ahead and shake off Drama Queen.
