WINTER 2001-02  :  BANGALORE RACE REVIEWS

Controversial end to season
The longest Bangalore Winter Season ended on Saturday on a controversial note. The Gr 2 Nanoli Stud Bangalore Juvenile Million saw lesser-fancied Obligado make a successful start to finish mission, barely lasting out to win by a whisker over Castle Park. More...

Way to the Stars surprises
The Chtarapathi Cup, the highlight of Friday’s races, looked like a minefield, as it was difficult to pinpoint any one of the runners as having an edge over the rest. 
More...

Intriguing improvements baffle race-goers
The Stewards and the officials of the Bangalore Turf Club do not command the kind of authority that their position should. While the powerfully connected get away with their dubious acts, the others do so by different tactics.... More...

Noble Executive shapes like a classic prospect
Noble Executive was always thought off very highly by the stable but the well-bred son of Placerville has turned out to be a disappointment, leaving everything behind at the morning workouts. After an unsuccessful campaign at Mumbai in the plums, Noble Executive was brought back to Bangalore. More...

Milan records yet another impressive win
Zareer Darashah trained Milan’s victory in the Karnataka Trophy, a terms for three year olds which featured Saturday’s races, was indeed creditable because the son of Tiajuana showed tremendous improvement over his previous run where he had beaten the likes of Slovania. More...

Iflookscouldkill prevails close home
Rashid Byramji trained Iflookscouldkill was better placed than Whatmore to win the 1600 metres Bull Temple Cup, the highlight of Friday’s races. But the only question mark against the success of Iflookscouldkill was the fact that the son of Don’t Forget Me was being brought back to a mile after running thrice over a mile and half trip. More...

The Pelican comes good at last
French jockey Chris Lemaire made the Indian Turf Invitation Cup weekend his own, with a record-breaking feat, winning three Grade 1 races in two days, a feat thus far not achieved by an Indian jockey or any visiting jockey.. More...

Strengthtostrength lives up to his name

Rehanullah Khan trained Strengthtostrength had raced in the shadow of Palazzio when the two met at Mumbai in the Gr 2 S C Jain Sprinters Cup. More...

It’s the horse that makes a rider, not vice versa
The fact that it is the horse that makes the rider and not the other way round was reiterated when two favorites, Our Ambition, confidently entrusted to the lesser known apprentice jockey A.R. Mani, and Bold Bird with the out-of-form rider Philip Woods aboard, won their respective races on Saturday. More...

Ronson makes the way for jockey Rajesh and trainer S. Singh
The seven event card went kindly for the railbirds when four firm favorites and two second -in- demand steeds scored on Friday. Trainer Sardar Singh and jockey Rajesh had a profitable day by winning, through the ten-to-one chance Ronson in the feature event, The Nagarahole Cup, a sprint race for horses rated 40 and above. More...

Dickie rides brilliantly to bring annaiah-trained Tapation Home
Punters had a mixed day at the races as three favourites and an equal number of less fancied horses scored in the six event card on Friday. More...

Padmanabhan trained Alchemy upsets punters 
and experts with a facile win
Surprisingly a small card of six events with only 60 contenders were scheduled for the weekend races held on Saturday, despite more than 800 horses being stationed here. More...

Antwerp staves off Acrobat
Padmanabhan trained Antwerp who has struck form, recorded an encore, staving off the challenge of a late-finishing Acrobat to lift the Indian Republic Trophy, on Saturday, the day traditionally reserved for the running of the Bangalore Derby. More...

Almond brings off an upset
Mysore based horses have been striking it rich even in tough company in Bangalore, getting the better of fashionably bred horses from the elite stables.More...

 Royal Russian shocks in the Derby

Anyone wishing to make an ass of himself has only to issue an unqualified statement about a racehorse. The horse will take it from there goes an old saying.  More...

Mayfair surprises in Nilgiris Cup

Jockey Srinath’s opportunistic riding on Kuts trained Mayfair ensured the six-year old race mare’s win in the 2000 metres Nilgiris Cup that featured Friday’s races. More...

Milan edges out Slanka in KROA Cup

The Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association Cup, a terms race for first season runners, was the highlight of Saturday’s action.  More...

Chevalier wins a thriller
Kingfisher Mysore Derby winner of 2000, Chevalier who turned out to be a dismal failure thereafter, finally broke the ice, with an exciting win over Golden Goal in the 2000 metres Stayers Trial Stakes, a terms race for four-year olds and over, the feature event of the races held on Friday. More...

Nairn has it easy in the Oaks

Zareer Darashah’s Nairn recorded an emphatic win in the Gr 2 The Hindu Bangalore Oaks beating a mediocre set pointless. The fact that Caressing who came out of the maiden’s ranks hardly a month ago finished less than five lengths behind the winner does not enhance the quality of the win much. More...

Vivid Dreams proves too good

Trainer Michael Eshwer has done exceedingly well to get Vivid Dreams to perform at the highest level consistently. The hat trick achieved by the daughter of Classic Sport was indeed creditable as the last leg of the win came in a highly competitive field. More...

Extreme Contact completes a hat trick

Extreme Contact’s third successive win served to highlight the growing status of his sire Conquering Hero whose progeny have been striking rich of late. More...

Prince Valiant emerges as a classic prospect

Trainer Padmanabhan enjoyed the most productive day of racing during the on-going winter season on Friday. The talented trainer who was going through a lean patch, struck gold by recording a treble and narrowly missing the fourth one by a whisker. More...

Elusive Emperor obliges at last

The facile win of Elusive Emperor in the 2000 metres Delhi Race Club Cup raises a few questions. Elusive Emperor has been a listless performer whenever guided by Aslam Kader but this time out, with Englishman Norton in the saddle, the son of Green Forest led from the word `go’ and then kicked clear when challenged by his opponents. More...

Axe wins on day of lackluster racing

Racing on Friday was lackluster. With the race meant for first season runners having gone void, the rest of the programme that emerged lacked competitive interest. The day belonged to trainer Kuts who managed to squeeze a double through Axe and Mayfair. More...

Extreme Contact maintains winning streak
Extreme Contact’s upset win in the Rohini Cup which featured Saturday’s races only served to confirm the raising status of his sire Conquering Hero as a stallion of immense value. More...

Alylady has the last laugh
Alylady defied the top weight quite convincingly to lift the Royal Calcutta Turf Club that featured Friday’s races. In a cluster finish, four runners were involved in the fight for minor berths. More...

Ansbach wins with ease
Vijay’s Singh trained Ansbach’s win in the Harvins Bangalore 2000 Guineas was on predictable lines. Ansbach towered over the rest but there was none in the fray who was clearly second best and as such, there were a flood of final entries and as a result 13 runners competed the event, perhaps the biggest number in recent years.  More...

Flying Scotsman records an impressive win
The sparingly raced Flying Scotsman recorded a smashing win in the Dariya Daulat Trophy which featured Friday’s races, notwithstanding a bad stumble at around the 700 metre marker. More...

Vivid Dreams wins a thriller
Jockey Aslam Kader is somewhat of an enigma. Without doubt, he is one of the all time greats of Indian horse racing and a controversial one too. He has had a chequered career, often interrupted by lengthy suspensions. More...

Antwerp gives Paddu reason to smile
The uncertainties of horse racing are such that any professional can find himself driven to the wall if he has a dry run, even if for a brief period, notwithstanding his credentials. More...

Snow Dew proves invincible
Snow Dew proved invincible in the Gr 2 Bangalore 1000 Guineas, the first classic of the season, with an emphatic win on Saturday. The disappointment of the race was the poor performance of Affability who was expected to run the favourite close. More...

Royal Liberator makes a smashing return
Easily one of the best three-year olds in the country, Royal Liberator made a smashing return to the track, swamping the opposition in the 1400 metres Madras Race Club that featured Friday’s races. More...

Alameda wins on day of shocking upsets
A succession of failed favourites left in their wake bruised punters who vented their anger by hurling choice abuses at the professionals. The professionals, of course, are immune to all this. More...

Vivid Dreams records a gutsy win
Vivid Dreams, a rousing performer, confirmed the fact that he belongs to the highest class, with a resolute win in the 1200 metres Hyderabad Silver Vase which featured Friday’s races. More...

Refresher edges out Hope And Faith
Hope And Faith’s defeat in the Karnataka Police Trophy on Sunday was more on predictable lines. The three-year old filly from Zareer Darashah’s ward Hope And Faith had an imposing record to back her credentials but Refresher definitely had an edge..... More...

Blue Hare pulls off an upset
Blue Stare brought off a stunning upset in the Kunigal Trophy, a lead up race for the forthcoming Guineas, with favourite Royal Gladiator finishing a poor third. Air Strike too showed a big improvement and his second did not exactly come as a surprise.  More...

Snow Dew makes a smashing reappearance
Kingfisher Derby heroine Snow Dew made a smashing reappearance, with a bloodless win in the 1600 metres Krishnaraja Wadiyar Trophy which featured the races on Sunday. More...

Alylady proves better than the rest
Alylady won the inaugural day’s feature of the Bangalore Winter Races quite easily but the outcome of the race could well have been different if Symphony of Fire did not have her way completely choked at a crucial stage of the race. More...