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The race unfurled on expected lines. Table Mountain, The Last Samurai and Raptor Force made the early running and led till the top of the straight. Appu was apparently following instructions, as he was seen holding Topkapi in fourth place ahead of Oban and Duckworth. The favourite was keen to "take off" at that stage. Appu waited a little longer before making his move. He skirted the field round the bend, and took control of the proceedings. A couple of taps of the whalebone saw Topkapi lengthening his fluent strides. The ones at the back were caught flat-footed. Oban, Raptor Force and Duckworth finished in a heap while filling the rest of the frame. The winner has struck fine form and has scope for moving higher in his ratings. Padmanabhan has done well to exploit the staying capabilities of Topkapi.
The other noteworthy performance in the seven-event card came from the Dominic stable. PS Chouhan rode a couple of powerful finishes for the trainer, and scored with Bucephalas and Enduring Speed. Bucephalas was reverting back to the lower class and was running over his favourite distance of 1,400 metres. In an open betting race, Bucephalas was fancied marginally behind The Senator and Criminal Lawyer. The slow early pace in this race suited Bucephalas perfectly. He was able to settle comfortably behind early leaders Spearhead, The Senator, Modern Art and Criminal Lawyer. The runners started to bunch up at the bend. Spearhead shortened his strides and dropped back on the rails. Modern Art ducked towards the inside while The Senator began his move in the middle. Suraj Narredu and Criminal Lawyer were caught in a precarious position and the horse was hampered for room. The jockey lost his balance momentarily and was quick to take evasive action. He soon parted company from his mount, and was lucky to land safely on the turf. In the mean time, Bucephalas started making steady progress on the wide outside. Under the strong urgings of Chouhan, the small made horse galloped away to an impressive victory. The Senator and Modern Art managed to save place money for their supporters.
It was nice to see Suraj re-appear in the paddock soon after his accident. He declared himself "fit" to keep his appointment astride favourite Dolce Vino in The Talkad Trophy. Chouhan's mount Enduring Speed was the other fancied runner in this race. He was receiving five kilos from Dloce Vino. Both these runners made their moves at the same juncture and came charging down the straight. They raced past the early leaders and galloped alongside for more than 300 metres. Dominic's Enduring Speed managed to nose ahead of Dolce Vino near the winning post. Chouhan's power-packed finish proved to be decisive.
However, Suraj got his opportunity to score with first-timer Crown Vision in the last race of the day. This filly was looking a picture in the paddock, but was totally neglected in the betting ring. With money flowing in the direction of well bred Crown Princess and Morova Goodtime, the ultimate winner was available at 10's and over. Crown Vision jumped smartly from her extreme draw, and made every post a winning one. Suraj rode her hands and heels in the straight to keep her going. She is definitely destined to achieve higher laurels later in her career. Morova Goodtime, Gluteus Maximus and Adonis finished close to each other while filling the rest of the frame. Crown Princess is a long and rangy filly, who may be better suited over a longer trip.
The dickey-legged Alviano, trained by darius Byramji, reappeared after a gap of three months and managed to score a narrow victory over Southern King in a race for horses in Class IV. The connections waited for firmer ground while planning his campaign. He had literally come to a stand still while racing as a hot favourite in soft going earlier in this season. Apprentice Shiva Kumar settled him comfortably behind a runaway Amber Star, before alighting him to his task. Alviano seized the initiative at the top of the straight and looked like going away for an easy victory. Southern King made a strong move from the rear and all but managed to topple Alviano. He should be noted over a mile. The rest of the runners were totally out-classed.
The day began with two divisions of a race for horses in the lowest class. Two four year-old fillies got their opportunities to score their maiden successes. Sharat Kumar's Cute Angel had been running some forward races this season. She was lucky to get filtered to race in the lower division today. John rode a patient race on her, as he allowed Smart Cooky and Aspiring Seven to lead on sufferance. Cute Angel responded well to his call and came with a smooth acceleration to claim the day's opener ahead of Blue Origin and Enchanting Beauty. The latter was unlucky to miss the kick, thereby losing precious ground at the start.
Samar Singh's Black Beauty won the upper division of this race. She had been fancied many times in the past, but had always flattered to deceive. The speedy filly would lead into the straight, shorten her strides and fade from the scene. She was rather lucky today. Black Beauty overtook early leader Only A Vision near the home turn and charged for home. The horses which were racing close behind her at that stage began to tire. It was left to Foresight to come from the tail end of the field and run a close second. Foresight covered many lengths in the straight, and was literally flying at the end. Well supported Harini came with a long stretch run to end a close fourth.
