With no apparent disability, Coral Gables attracted a big volume of
money in the betting ring, while Ganapathy’s Spectacular Quest was next in
demand though not commanding any inspired support. There was muted
support for Crown Secret and Gaslight but in the event both were clearly
outclassed.
The speedy Rambus hit the front as the field set off for the seven furlong
race. Camarioca, Havana Goodtime, Spectacular Quest and Coral
Gables raced in close proximity with Fashion Verdict unable to keep
pace, dropping out of contention. Gaslight who was sluggish at the
start had covered ground to be in touch with the front-runners midway
through the race. Rambus shortened his strides on turning for home even
as Camarioca showed up briefly only to be decisively overhauled by
Spectacular Quest who bounced away to a big lead. Coral Gables came up
with a belated effort on the wide outside but the front-runner was never
under threat of being caught. Saratoga Sizzle was third with
Lancaster filling the frame.
The most impressive winner of the day was the Ganapathy trained Mystical who
smashed the opposition in the 1400 metres Nawab M Arshad Ali Khan
Memorial Cup, a terms race for three year olds. The son of Alnasr
Alwasheek certainly has a great future ahead of him. After tracking
Iberian into the straight, this full brother to Randsberg picked up
speed in a sensational manner and went away for a 10 lengths win over
Cote D’Azur. The manner in which he swamped the opposition which had
fair credentials, speaks volumes of his ability. Mystical’s performance is put in proper perspective when one
considers that his timing was identical to that recorded by Spectacular
Quest later in the day - 1 minute 25.8 seconds. One is a seasoned
performer and achiever and the other just a beginner! Mystical is likely
to run in the Gr.3 Usha Stud Bangalore Summer Million where he will be conceding weight
and a similar performance would surely put him in the elite league.
There was sudden spurt of support for Storm Flag Flying in the Sir Bruce
Plate (Div.I) so much so that he displaced on-money favourite Premier
Star from that position. The price on Premier Star drifted out to 3/1
while apart from Storm Flag Flying; On The Trail also collared lot of
support. On The Trail who flew from the gates, had the race under her
control but slackened close home and Premier Star managed to neck out
the front-runner in the shadow of the post. Storm Flag Flying lacked the
speed to be in touch with the front-runners and was a beaten cause long
before the race was on the boil. Byramji trained Suave had to be fully
ridden out to win from Andaluz in the lower division of the race. Suave
found the six furlong trip rather sharp for comfort but just about
managed to get the measure of Andaluz who shaped like a winner but
buckled in the dying moments of the race.
The Royal Randwick Plate (Div.I) produced an exciting finish. Kilspindie
and Choice Is Blue were the market fancies and the former obliged by the
shortest of margins. Kilspindie who was well placed at the top of the
straight, surged ahead of the rest even as Choice Is Blue had to be
maneuvered into a striking position. Though Choice Is Blue came up with
a big burst of speed, the winning post came to the rescue of the
front-runner who held on by the proverbial whisker. The lower division
of the race turned out to be an anti-climax as Peakabo, hitherto a poor
performer, sprouted wings, as it were, to slam the opposition by a
widening margin of eight lengths.
Star Distinction, who had performed poorly as a favourite last time, was
seen in different colours in the Confucius Plate (Div.I). Sporting
blinkers, Star Distinction collared the front-running Dinesa and
favourite Look At Venus with a great deal of ease. Look At Venus was
well placed to strike but did not pick up speed when under pressure. The
lower division of the race produce a tremendous finish, with the Nityanand
trained Star Blue managing to get his head ahead at the post. The speedy
Siroco led the field from the word 'go' and shaped to win but Star Blue,
who was hopelessly positioned inside the final furlong, picked up speed
in nick of time to edge out the front-runner in the final stride.
Rutherford’s persistence enabled Star Blue to win though the jockey
ended up coughing a fine of Rs.3,000 for excessive use of the whip.
There was a big touch on Big Thrillz who had all the chances but failed
to quicken at a crucial stage of the race and finished a close third.
