Captivating performance in BTC Trophy
Jaggy Dhariwal trained Captivating grabbed the Bangalore Turf Club Trophy, a terms race for three-year olds and over, the feature event of Friday’s races, from the word `go’ and simply gave no chance to her challengers to come anywhere near her shadow en route to a smashing win. The well performed Captivating is due for retirement for stud duties and this were to be her last run, one cannot ask for a better swan song for the talented daughter of Burden of Proof who has literally won `start to finish’ of her career.
The field for the feature event looked pretty closely matched though Captivating stood out by virtue of her performance. The front running Captivating has always thrived on challenges and this time out; she achieved her target with ease. Jockey Chris Hayes had Captivating dictate the pace cleverly and when the opponents closed in with a rush with a furlong out, asked the favourite to quicken which she did with remarkable ease to record a facile win. Atlantus made a good rally and managed to stave off the late bid of Bhagirathi who literally flew home from the last position to miss the runner up berth by a whisker. Kyles of Bute flattered to deceive and finished tame fourth.
Attaollahi trained horses are never consistent. Six Shooter had flopped as a favourite in his last run but this time out, proved to be a different customer when winning the Sohna Stud Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 60 to 85 at nourishing odds. Still Will was backed to the exclusion of his rivals but the favourite was sweating profusely which was not a good sign. Alpha Baby led the field with Still Will in close attendance. The latter failed to get his act together as Alpha Baby maintained her slender lead into the final quarter mile. Six Shooter moved from behind to come into contention but in doing so, repeatedly boxed in Colonel Duff and completely hampered his progress. Six Shooter finished strongly to win from the late rallying Logans Run who better saddle assistance could have made a difference to the outcome of the race. Celestial Son, Alpha Baby and Still Will were involved in a cluster finish and occupied the other slots in the frame, in the order mentioned.
Trainer Darius Byramji raised an objection against jockey Chris Hayes who rode the winner for hampering the progress of his ward Colonel Duff. The Stewards decided to overrule the objection as there is no precedent of a winner being placed behind the fifth horse in Bangalore though the rules do permit it. Surprisingly, the Stipes let off Chris Hayes for his infringement with a fine of Rs 5,000 despite this being his third such offense. The Stipes have told him that this is final chance and any repetition of the same will result in him being put up before Stewards for a harsher punishment.
Jaggy Dhariwal trained Sunny Gold who was running after a long absence from the track, made a winning return by claiming the lower division of the Sohna Stud Plate. Sunny Gold had last run in winter where his runaway tactics had come to grief in the shadow of the post and he had lost to Leon Cavallo and Lester in the dying moments of the race. Now kept a handy fourth as Romance In The Air and Corleone made all the front running, Sunny Gold showed up on the wide outside, got stronger in the final furlong and won with a length to spare to Corleone who nosed out Superb Style who in turn wrested a similar verdict from favourite Spark of Solitaire. The last named was little sluggish at the start but made up ground to be in contention but was unable to produce that bit extra at the all-important end.
Leon Cavallo was the favourite to win the Kumararajah M A M Muthiah Trophy, a seven furlongs race for horses rated 40 to 65. Leo Cavallo, The Contender and Desert Realm raced in close order as the field straightened for the homestretch. While the first two packed up under pressure, Desert Realm held the lead till the final furlong at which point the lesser fancied Red Shift showed up and surged ahead. The Lokanath trainee then held off the late rally by Vayuputra. Desert Realm was third.
The progeny of Midtown continued their domination of juvenile races. Mad About You and Capote were the market fancies but both these runners expended themselves by running themselves to the ground. The lesser fancied Zultanite who was loitering in the rear of the field, came up with a blistering run to swamp the opposition in splendid fashion. Jockey Selvaraj had nothing much to do on the winner though it is difficult to understand the way he rides: whether he is no job or not. When he is doing both, he looks the same.
The expanding odds on Jaggy Dhariwal’s Skyliner sent confusing signal to the punters. Skyliner’s best performance had come over a sprint and now that he was switched back to his pet distance, he was expected to have a bold show. Jockey Ryan Marshall had Skyliner dictate the pace and the progeny of Hurricane State bolted away from the opposition to win as she pleased from Montedoro and What A Friend in impressive fashion.
The seven furlongs Bugs Bunny Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, was unique in that six horses cornered betting and winner picking was a tough proposition. One has not seen such a scenario in Bangalore for a long time. The racing dictum that it pays to follow a failed favourite would have helped if Gunpowder who was an ante post favourite in his previous run had been persisted with especially since his last run was the first after being gelded. After racing a handy third into the straight, Gunpowder took over the running inside the final 100 metres and sped away from his pursuer Gluteus Maximus to record a facile win. Beautiful Life, who received inspired support in the ring, was outpaced in the early part and had too much leeway to cover in the straight. He had a hopeless task ahead of him and ended up a poor third.
The heavily supported Fantabulous Star from trainer Babu Rao’s yard obliged the immense confidence of his connections, picking up speed in nick of time to edge ahead of Ailsa who had shaped like a winner with a furlong out.
In the day’s other action, Puttanna’s Alianz who was well supported in the betting ring, flew past the opposition in the homestretch and went away for a facile win over Burning Ambitions in the hands of jockey C Krishnan who booted home a winner after a long period of hibernation.
The field for the feature event looked pretty closely matched though Captivating stood out by virtue of her performance. The front running Captivating has always thrived on challenges and this time out; she achieved her target with ease. Jockey Chris Hayes had Captivating dictate the pace cleverly and when the opponents closed in with a rush with a furlong out, asked the favourite to quicken which she did with remarkable ease to record a facile win. Atlantus made a good rally and managed to stave off the late bid of Bhagirathi who literally flew home from the last position to miss the runner up berth by a whisker. Kyles of Bute flattered to deceive and finished tame fourth.
Attaollahi trained horses are never consistent. Six Shooter had flopped as a favourite in his last run but this time out, proved to be a different customer when winning the Sohna Stud Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 60 to 85 at nourishing odds. Still Will was backed to the exclusion of his rivals but the favourite was sweating profusely which was not a good sign. Alpha Baby led the field with Still Will in close attendance. The latter failed to get his act together as Alpha Baby maintained her slender lead into the final quarter mile. Six Shooter moved from behind to come into contention but in doing so, repeatedly boxed in Colonel Duff and completely hampered his progress. Six Shooter finished strongly to win from the late rallying Logans Run who better saddle assistance could have made a difference to the outcome of the race. Celestial Son, Alpha Baby and Still Will were involved in a cluster finish and occupied the other slots in the frame, in the order mentioned.
Trainer Darius Byramji raised an objection against jockey Chris Hayes who rode the winner for hampering the progress of his ward Colonel Duff. The Stewards decided to overrule the objection as there is no precedent of a winner being placed behind the fifth horse in Bangalore though the rules do permit it. Surprisingly, the Stipes let off Chris Hayes for his infringement with a fine of Rs 5,000 despite this being his third such offense. The Stipes have told him that this is final chance and any repetition of the same will result in him being put up before Stewards for a harsher punishment.
Jaggy Dhariwal trained Sunny Gold who was running after a long absence from the track, made a winning return by claiming the lower division of the Sohna Stud Plate. Sunny Gold had last run in winter where his runaway tactics had come to grief in the shadow of the post and he had lost to Leon Cavallo and Lester in the dying moments of the race. Now kept a handy fourth as Romance In The Air and Corleone made all the front running, Sunny Gold showed up on the wide outside, got stronger in the final furlong and won with a length to spare to Corleone who nosed out Superb Style who in turn wrested a similar verdict from favourite Spark of Solitaire. The last named was little sluggish at the start but made up ground to be in contention but was unable to produce that bit extra at the all-important end.
Leon Cavallo was the favourite to win the Kumararajah M A M Muthiah Trophy, a seven furlongs race for horses rated 40 to 65. Leo Cavallo, The Contender and Desert Realm raced in close order as the field straightened for the homestretch. While the first two packed up under pressure, Desert Realm held the lead till the final furlong at which point the lesser fancied Red Shift showed up and surged ahead. The Lokanath trainee then held off the late rally by Vayuputra. Desert Realm was third.
The progeny of Midtown continued their domination of juvenile races. Mad About You and Capote were the market fancies but both these runners expended themselves by running themselves to the ground. The lesser fancied Zultanite who was loitering in the rear of the field, came up with a blistering run to swamp the opposition in splendid fashion. Jockey Selvaraj had nothing much to do on the winner though it is difficult to understand the way he rides: whether he is no job or not. When he is doing both, he looks the same.
The expanding odds on Jaggy Dhariwal’s Skyliner sent confusing signal to the punters. Skyliner’s best performance had come over a sprint and now that he was switched back to his pet distance, he was expected to have a bold show. Jockey Ryan Marshall had Skyliner dictate the pace and the progeny of Hurricane State bolted away from the opposition to win as she pleased from Montedoro and What A Friend in impressive fashion.
The seven furlongs Bugs Bunny Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, was unique in that six horses cornered betting and winner picking was a tough proposition. One has not seen such a scenario in Bangalore for a long time. The racing dictum that it pays to follow a failed favourite would have helped if Gunpowder who was an ante post favourite in his previous run had been persisted with especially since his last run was the first after being gelded. After racing a handy third into the straight, Gunpowder took over the running inside the final 100 metres and sped away from his pursuer Gluteus Maximus to record a facile win. Beautiful Life, who received inspired support in the ring, was outpaced in the early part and had too much leeway to cover in the straight. He had a hopeless task ahead of him and ended up a poor third.
The heavily supported Fantabulous Star from trainer Babu Rao’s yard obliged the immense confidence of his connections, picking up speed in nick of time to edge ahead of Ailsa who had shaped like a winner with a furlong out.
In the day’s other action, Puttanna’s Alianz who was well supported in the betting ring, flew past the opposition in the homestretch and went away for a facile win over Burning Ambitions in the hands of jockey C Krishnan who booted home a winner after a long period of hibernation.
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