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It was a mixed afternoon for the punters. Some real hot favourites and a few rank outsiders obliged during the afternoon. Trainer Prithviraj and jockey PS Chouhan combined effectively to land a short priced double with Captain's Lover and Sweet Timer. Both these horses had finished second in their previous starts, and were plastered off the betting boards today. Captain's Lover had lost her last start due to a sluggish ride by her jockey. She had got into a series of problems before finishing powerfully in the straight. Chouhan took no chances with this filly today. He took a good jump from the extreme wide draw and settled nicely behind Party Tonite. It was only a matter of time thereafter. The filly was travelling nice and easy for most of the way. Captain's Lover was shown daylight near the bend and she was up to her task. With nice long strides, she sailed past a hard ridden Party Tonite. Duke Of Edinburgh veered out under pressure and finished a tame third.
Sweet Timer's victory was even easier. Byramji's Wynn and Sweet Timer had been locked together in their previous clash and another thriller was expected today. However, with Wynn getting withdrawn on veterinary grounds, Sweet Timer's victory became a mere formality. The half-money offered by the bookmakers was quite generous. Chouhan had an armchair ride to victory on this speedy four year-old. He bolted out of the gates, and travelled well within himself for the rest of the way. After chasing him till well into the straight, Neel Gagan packed up like a pricked balloon and faded from the scene. Heavily bandaged Spicy Star strode into second place ahead of a late-finishing Xel.
A big bombshell exploded in the form of first timer Sky Diver. This colt, available at 50/1 in the betting rings, enabled James Doyle to open his account at Bangalore. It was a seven-furlong race for maiden three year-olds. Delight Of Asia and Braavo were the two market-leaders in this event. A camera was consulted before separating them in their only clash last month. Delight Of Asia had travelled thereafter to Hyderabad to participate in one of the "plums" at that centre, and had finished a fair third over the same trip. The Amit Caddy stable had bought this filly in recent weeks for a fancy price, and a lot was expected from her today. The friendless Sky Diver went to the front and set a comfortable pace ahead of Braavo and Delight of Asia. The last named cruised into second place and the posture of Chouhan showed that she was racing comfortably. Her fans expected her to accelerate in the straight and account for the leader. However, James Doyle had other ideas. He nursed the Arjun Mangalorkar trained colt to keep going and was ecstatic near the winning post. Sky Diver had been able to keep Delight Of Asia at bay. The most impressive runner in this race was One Life To Love. She overcame numerous traffic problems while ending a close third. She can easily win a similar event prior to the close of the Winter Season.
Another unfancied winner was Prasanna Kumar's Spark Of Bronte. He had just come down a class and was set to concede chunks of weight to the others. With most of the runners fancied ahead of him, Spark of Bronte was backable at 20/1. Allowing Mystere to lead on sufferance, John bided his time, and waited for a long time before making his move. Spark Of Bronte began his march up the straight, and after a brief duel with Mercutio, was able to put his neck in front. A few cracks from John saw him holding onto his advantage. The fancied pair of Red Stone and Hampton Court filled the rest of the frame.
John was able to complete a double with Sharat Kumar's Voice Of India in The Vijayanagar Trophy. This horse had signalled a return to prime form by ending a close second earlier this month. The stable supported him strongly today, and cheered loudly after his return to the unsaddling enclosure. His job had become a bit easier after the fancied Noble Sacrifice lost many lengths at the start. In fact, Noble Sacrifice covered acres of ground and finished close behind the leading pack. John brought Voice Of India through a tightly packed field and sailed ahead of Gustavo and early leader Youre A Legend.
The only other race in the day's card was run on expected lines. Warren Singh's Romance In The Air stood out in this pack. She had carried Imran Chisty into second place last month, after the boy had lost his stirrups in the straight. With his feet dangling, Imran had been unable to offer any assistance from the saddle. They renewed their partnership, were supported strongly in the ring and put up a splendid display today. Romance In The Air bolted out of the gates and made every post a winning one. Prakash ridden Poetic made a move from the rear, but was unable to catch the leader. Spark Of Isis dislodged Little Splendour from the third spot, and showed that she is slowly getting back into form.
