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Having won two earlier starts, Tsavorite was set to concede weight to her rivals in today's feature. Darius Byramji's Ballibay was a hot favourite in this race. Ballibay was reportedly the costliest juvenile racing at Bangalore, and had won her first start by a widening margin. The fact that she was receiving weight from Tsavorite was enough for the railbirds to back her down to odds-on favouritism. Her track trials had been in the company of some top-class sprinters of the stable, and according to Ballibay's connections, the race was almost as good as over. A mere look at the favourite in the paddock showed that she was looking "light". She seemed to have lost condition after her first start. Her fans decided to ignore this fact, and lived to rue their decision after the race.
The early pace in this event was quite modest. Chris Hayes decided to keep Tsavorite off the pace, and was happy to allow her to canter along in mid-group till well into the straight. On the other hand, Suraj Narredu looked to be in a hurry to lift this coveted trophy as he rushed Ballibay to the front. Sunspirit, Awarding and Sure Speed tracked Ballibay for most of the way. The race took a serious turn once the horses began their final charge. The first horse beaten was Ballibay. She literally stopped in her tracks and finished off the frame. Awarding responded well to Prakash's urgings and led briefly, before Tsavorite arrived on the scene. With Chris Hayes riding a powerhouse finish, Tsavorite galloped resolutely to give weight and a beating to her rivals. Awarding finished a fair second while Padmanabhan's Con Artiste came with a long stretch run to dislodge Sunspirit from the third spot. Con Artiste may not be hard pressed to win a maidens event prior to the end of this season.
Chris Hayes and Irfan were quick to complete their doubles in the very next race of the day. Lock and Load was a rank outsider in a mile race for horses in Class II. With a lot of money flowing in the direction of Incredible and Star Assembly, most of the other runners could be backed at fancy odds. It was once again the cool temperament of Chris Hayes which enabled him to score in a close finish. He waited for a long while before making his bid. Lock and Load improved with giant strides and got the better of Incredible near the winning post. Duckworth was the other one to finish strongly, as he too was able to put his nose in front of Incredible near the wire.
Suraj was the other professional to score more than once during the afternoon. He started the day by steering Lokanath's Dim Sum to a fine win in the lower division of a maidens event over 1,100 metres. The favourite Sundance Kid ran in patches and was a beaten well before the horses raced into the final furlong of this race. In the very next race, he rode an on-money favourite for his father. Satish Narredu had entered three runners in this five-horse race. Showers Of Luck had finished powerfully in an earlier start over a mile, and today's trip of eleven furlongs was supposed to be tailormade for his style of running. Suraj was content to keep Showers Of Luck in second spot before assuming charge at the top of the straight. The young horse quickened thereafter, and had little difficulty in containing the challenge of Gordian Knot near the winning post.
Neil Darashah's Juno landed a nice gamble while upsetting the applecart of Sky Glider in the upper division of the maidens’ event. Ryan Marshall was seen at his best while riding this filly. Juno tracked Sky Glider till the bend, and joined issue with him thereafter. It was a nice sight to see both these horses in motion. They galloped alongside for most of the way before Juno put her neck in front. Jaldi ran on to take the third spot.
Trainer Amit Caddy, who has been having a lean season this winter, was another professional to saddle a pair today. Yamaguchi gave Srinath an armchair ride to victory in the lowest class of horses. It was difficult to understand the previous run of this horse, as Yamaguchi had finished in the ruck on that day. It was a transformed Yamaguchi who sailed past a hapless Myway Or Noway near the bend and extended the margin of his victory over Seven Star and Caribbean Pirate. His other winner was Royal Player. This horse had signalled his good form by running a close fourth in his last outing. He could have easily won that race. With David Allan astride today, Royal Player came with a smooth run through a tightly packed field and pulverized his opponents. Good Companion was the best of the other runners.
David Allan concluded the day's proceedings by riding another winner for trainer Padmanabhan. The speedy Regal Glory was opposing Criminal Lawyer over a sprint. Even though Criminal Lawyer is better suited over a slightly longer trip, he was expected to win this race. On the other hand, Regal Glory is blessed with immense speed. David Allan used slightly different tactics today. He held her back for a while before allowing her to "go". Regal Glory sped away with comfort and contained the belated challenge from Criminal Lawyer. Early leader Game Dancer settled for the third place.
An unusual happening at the starting gates in the seventh race of the day ,led to a lot of unrest amongst the racing public at Bangalore. Jockey Srinath was set to guide the fortunes of the Dominic-trained Still Will. The horse was a hot favourite in this race. A split second after the horses left the gates, jockey Srinath was seen sitting on the grass. For the records, the race was won by Vituoso from Greenbro and Spark Of Solitaire. The TV replays clearly showed that Srinath's legs were not in the stirrups when the start was given. There could be only two reasons for this fall. Either the jockey was not ready and the starter had been eager to flag them off, or that the jockey had intentionally parted company from his mount. In both cases, the Stewards of the Club had to enquire into this incident as a lot of public money was at stake. After seeking evidence of the starter, the handlers at the gate, the racing officials and relying on the evidence of the TV footage, the Stewards decided to refund all bets placed in this race by the racing public. They have ordered a detailed enquiry into the cause and reasons for this fall, and we shall be bringing you the results of their investigation after the judgement is announced.
