Once
a rousing performer till he went to Singapore, Rambus had been somewhat
of a let down after he returned to India. Now showing out in good
condition, the son of Placerville did the front-running, with Coral
Gables racing in close attendance. Spectacular Quest, who had won the
Super Mile was not his usual self, settled in mid-bunch and did not give
any
hope at any stage of the race. Rambus tired out in the final furlong
even as Appu put Coral Gables in top gear. The favourite bounced away to
win in a smart time of 1 minute 25.5 seconds, sparing a widening margin
of over four lengths to Rambus who battled on to wrest the runner up spot.
Spectacular Quest was a leisurely third while River God appeared to have
lost some of his sparkle. Now that Rambus has shown some signs of
returning to his old form, he bears watching over a sprint which is his
pet distance. Stage Craft does not have the form of last year.
Prakash’s driving finish enabled Go For Gold to pull off an exciting win
over Splendid Smith in Kunigal Stud Plate, a race for horses rated 30 to
45. Tribal Fantasy set a fast pace, with Splendid Smith chasing the
front-runner. Splendid Smith took charge in the final 100 metres but was
done in by the finishing burst of Go For Gold who spared a short neck at
the finish. Tribal Fantasy should strike before long. Da Vinci Rose who
had won three races at her home centre at Hyderabad perhaps needed an
outing at this centre but it is difficult to gauge her worth on the
basis of this run.
However, another Hyderabad runner, Republic Day, who had finished behind Da Vinci Rose in one of his outings, came out of the maiden ranks with a
smashing win in the Rare Gem Plate (Div I). The son of Local Talent
proved too good for the field and should make his mark unless he is
ambitiously campaigned. Cheryl was fancied but she made no show and
surely she does not have much hope this season on the basis of this run. Kaliyug Raja once again found one better. In the lower division of the
race, the full sister to Radical Force, Radical Power won though she was far
from ready and recovering from a back problem. Stealth was the
overwhelming favourite by default but Radical Power’s class was evident
as she won without much sweat. Surely, Radical Power has scope of
turning out into a formidable contender if she stays fit.
Queen of Swords who had let down when fancied in
the winter proved too
good for favourite Cragielaw. The tongue strap and blinkers helped as
Queen of Swords, despite a tardy beginning, bolted to the front and
stayed put. She is talented but needs more time. Lava was given a light
ride by jockey Krishnan and he ended up with a suspension for a few days
for his lacklustre ride.
Hyderabad apprentice Ch K Chary was in the limelight, booting home a double.
He guided Pick Me Up for a popular win over Storm Eagle who came in for
inspired betting at race time. His ride on Syrian Spice was much better
as the Dhariwal trainee won with great ease over Fire N Desire who did
not have the luck of the race and had an interfered passage. Favourite
Equally Good had all the chances but did not quicken when the race was
on the boil. In the day’s other action, So Ravishing managed to hold on
to the lead to win from Alagi and Adelaide. The jockey of Alagi, Ali
Khan lost his reins momentarily when the horse was in full flight and
this perhaps had a bearing on the final outcome.
