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Shafiq Khan’s first winner was Chief Justice who had been knocking throughout the winter meet. The three-year-old gelding got the better of the four-year-old filly Torrential close home while aged Charulata was a game second in the race for the State Treasure Handicap. The speedy favourite was running well till the distance post but may have found her weight a stopper on a track which was giving a little. Jockey Afzal Khan, atop the eventual winner, was hemmed in along the rails but managed to forge ahead with a little help from the whalebone.
Trainer Vikash Jaiswal’s Ariela closed as the favourite in the opening event, The Andrada Handicap. However, it was stablemate Swiss King with brother Vinay atop who made it a start-to-finish affair. Old-timers will tell you that there was an era when the Totalisator would actually pay you for ‘googlies’ from the same yard. Alas, the odds are heavily stacked against the punter nowadays.
Daniel David-schooled Whispering Wind showed a clean pair of heels to the field as she made every post a winning one in the race for the Picture Perfect Handicap. Jockey A Imran Khan left nothing to chance. Castle Queen was a good second and will be worth keeping an eye on. Snowberry was a poor third but may have needed the run. As is her wont, Easter Lily showed early speed in the race for the Moon Mission Handicap but her efforts came to nought as Bharath Singh-trained Jump Away and Christopher Alford drew away from the field. It was Alford’s best mount and he did justice to it. Ebony Princess was a good second and may go one better next time out.
The curtain came down with Bath-trained Cromwell making mincemeat of his rivals despite being a little long in the tooth. The favourite Great Heart was in fact out on handicap to several runners and the race vindicated that finding as he finished fourth. The win of Cromwell gave apprentice Shezad Khan the second winner of his career.
