a knee chip problem held up his progress and he did not do as well as expected. However, his last run suggested that he was bouncing back to form. The son of Burden of Proof was least fancied to win in the 1400 metres Poonawalla Stud Plate (Div I), a race for
horses rated 60 to 90, as Almandine who was a failed favourite, got all the support despite the fact that the Razeen filly was coming down drastically in distance. After having tackled the nine furlong trip and even finding that sharp, the seven furlong distance was bound to go against her. There was also support for Alandra, Fantabulous Prince and Fort Knox.
Apprentice jockey Md Shoaib circled the field from behind to move into a striking position at the final bend and Salvatore quickened nicely to go clear in the final furlong. Almandine who was handily placed, packed up without a fight on turning for home to finish poorly. Woman In Charge and Fort Knox finished on to take the second and third spots while
Alandra too disappeared without a trace after being prominent at the top of the straight. The lower division of the race was evenly contested as Firestone slipped through a gap along the rails in the closing stages of the race and held on to win from Stafire who was finishing on after being denied a clear run in the final furlong. Stafire was ridden way off the pace and though jockey Neeraj Rawal could improve quickly on the fancied runner, Stafire had to cover considerable leeway and had to wait for an opening in the centre. Stafire ran on well but Firestone had gone ahead and held on to the
advantage. Now that Stafire is showing his old spark, he can be expected to strike soon, possibly over an extended trip, if his knee does not trouble him all over again. Oprah was prominent but could only finish third.
The Contender was one of the most impressive winners of the day. The Sans Craintes Stud Farm bred The Contender had run a close second to River Island in winter before recording a runaway win. He changed stables after his victory and went to Rashid Byramji’s yard. The Contender had a trial run earlier in the season. However, he was less fancied than Oxford
Street who had gained reputation by his fluent debut win and then running prominently against stiff competition in the Juvenile Million. Constant Wonder set a fast pace as Oxford Street and The Contender raced along side till the homestretch. Oxford Street went ahead but his stay at the top was brief as The Contender grew strong on the wide outside and ended up a facile winner. Milford ran on to be third.
Ballerina Girl and Dark Horse were the betting rage in the Allied Forces Plate (Div I), a sprint race for horses rated 20 to 50. Dark Horse surged ahead at the final turn and opened up a lead of about few lengths and it looked as though he would oblige. However, Ballerina Girl put up a strong challenge and got better at the finish against an opponent who failed to sustain the momentum.. The lower division of the race went the way of Advocate General on whom Mark Zahra
rode a fine race. Advocate General hit the front from the word `go’ even as the other fancied runners were jostling for position and broke into a clear lead and comfortably held on to win from Rain Man. Rain Man who was backed strongly on the basis of his last run which was his first after a long gap, did not make the anticipated improvement.
