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Mr Hurricane was the first winner for the stable. After moving to Mysore during the Winter Season, the four year-old has never missed the board. He was backed with confidence and ran according to his master's expectations. Allowing Royal View and Collateral to lead into the straight, Jagadeesh produced Mr Hurricane on the outer strip of the race track. A riderless Hakuna Matata was running alongside. Wanting to stay clear of trouble, the rider relaxed for a moment before making his efforts. Mr Hurricane was so much superior to the opposition that he quickened smoothly and sailed past the leaders. A heavily whipped Champion's League finished late to go past a tired Royal View. Collateral flopped to end a poor fourth.
The most impressive of Monappa's three winners was Perfect Bond. He was looking to defy his winning penalty, and was running in a sprint race for horses rated 60 and above. Sajid-trained Red Dawn was expected to run prominently, but this small-made gelding refused to gallop. He ran a lethargic race and finished in the ruck. On the other hand, Perfect Bond chased Ansonia till the bend before assuming charge of the proceedings. Under the strong urgings of Rajesh Babu, the favourite sailed away for an easy victory. Last outing winner and promotee Tina's Triumph came with giant strides to finish an impressive third. Ansonia held on to her third place ahead of a disinterested Super Sha. The other runners were out on a weight reducing mission, and it will be improper to deduce anything based on their performances today.
Jockey Rajesh Babu had already scored a point for Ravi Shanker earlier in the afternoon. In a race where stablemate Briannsta was fancied ahead of her, Hidden Pleasures put up an attractive display. She had scored as a rank outsider on the opening day of the season, and was carrying the statutory penalty on promotion. She was trailing the field for most of the way, before the boy allowed her to move. Hidden Pleasures had to weave her way through a closely bunched field, but once she saw daylight, there were no problems. She won by a widening margin from Briannsta and the front-running Veda Priya. Appu-ridden Rich Rogue ran another poor race today.
Darashah's three year-old Behram made his debut in open class, and accepted to carry the top weight in a seven-furlong event for horses in Class IV. His credentials were impeccable as he had finished a couple of seconds, before winning his next two starts. In fact, many felt that the handicapper had been kind to him in this race. However, Behram found it extremely tough to match strides with his older rivals. With Witch Doctor setting a strong pace in this race, Behram rolled out under pressure and was unable to save place money for his supporters. On the other hand, Ravinder Singh seized a lucky opening on the rails with Stampede. The eight year-old was good enough to storm through the gap and collar the leader near the winning post. Land Of Gold finished a close third, and can be earmarked for an early success over a slightly longer course.
Appu and Darashah had some compensation when Del Gratia put up a speedy show to down the colours of a heavily gambled Miss Ruby. Many unperformed four year-olds were running in this sprint for horses in Class B. None of them had done anything of note in their short careers. With the benefit of a forward run in an earlier start, Miss Ruby was considered to be superior to the others. The confidence of the connections was reflected in the fact that rookie Shanth Kumar had been entrusted with the job today. The filly showed a lot of promise by going to the front and leading comfortably ahead of Del Gratia. The other runners were totally outclassed in the early stages of this race. The two front-runners were close together as they came charging down the straight. It did not take long for the railbirds to realize that Del Gratia was moving the better of the two. The Darashah-trainee got stronger near the finish and won easier than the official verdict.
