There was, however, no such excuse for Silver Fox in the Governor’s Cup. Bottom-weighted Rising Hero from Patrick Quinn’s yard, virtually made the mile race a start-to-finish affair by setting a cracking pace himself. Just why C. Alford kept Silver Fox behind Arktouros is difficult to understand. He allowed too much of a lead to the front-runner. Silver Fox and Rising Hero had met twice earlier in the season and on both occasion, the wily ‘Fox’ had prevailed. Clever horsemanship had obviously deserted him on this occasion. Jockey Kadam needs to be complimented for shedding some weight so that he could weigh in at 47.5 kg. That undoubtedly helped his cause.
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Able apprentice Babu Singh turned out to be the toast of the day with a brilliant double astride Shafiq Khan-trained Mandira and Jasbir Singh-trained Trigance. Both winners are owned by Rustom Daroga. After her good second to Bayberry last time out, Mandira found no equal in the CROS Cup. Spanish Sahara was heavily under the whip to finish a poor second. Though Babu Singh could not claim allowance in the CROS Cup, his 5-kg allowance atop Trigance helped him pull it off in the Nationalistic Handicap. Best bet moved well along the rails but failed narrowly.
Jockey Kamlesh rode a fine race astride Mysterious Star to defy the winning penalty and produce an encore. Celtic Charm had to travel an extra distance after a somewhat tardy beginning and yet she finished second. The favourite Corazon was the disappointment in the race. By the last race, punters were so used to favourites falling like ninepins, that only a few dared to have a wager on the unsound Queen Of Rhythm. They were saved to a certain extent as she was nowhere to be seen after the turning for home. Owner-mate Acrology made a brave bid in the final furlong but failed narrowly as the aged Horse Raddish came good in Malcolm Maseyk’s hands.
Whew, that is one afternoon that turfites would like to wipe clean from their memory!
