Michael Eshwer trained
Opera Queen had all the credentials to win the 1200 metres Krishnaraja
Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 and above. The speedy daughter of
Tecorno, Opera Queen had been a noteworthy performer all along but the
absence of the regular routine of work owing to a setback saw many look
elsewhere for a winner. Darius Byramji trained Supreme Power who had run
poorly at Mysore, was backed to the exclusion of his rivals so much so
that his price shortened abruptly to the point of being not good enough
for a bet. In the event, Supreme Power struggled to pick up speed and
was a beaten cause well before the final furlong. Though Supreme Power
in the past had done well over a sprint, the fact is that the son of
Razeen will always find the six furlong trip sharp for his liking in
this class.
The now deceased Tecorno has sired an amazing number of horses with
speed as their forte. Opera Queen is blessed with blinding speed and the
three-year old filly hit the front from the word 'go' before kicking
clear when she came under pressure in the straight to win comfortably from another Tecorno progeny, Tribal Fantasy.
Traditionally, the Tecorno progeny have always been known to get race
fit with minimum amount of work and it was no surprise that Opera Queen,
despite not being subjected to regular regime of workouts, was
nevertheless fit enough to win in the highest class. Laguna Blue and
Splendid Smith were noteworthy runners. Linette who had fair Mysore
form, perhaps did not relish the underfoot conditions and ran
disappointingly.
The race for first season runners was claimed by Samar Singh trained
Black Splendour. Secret Wish was the betting rage, with Didjeridu next
in demand but both of them ran below par. It was Black Splendour who
showed out from the start and then held on to win from Hollywood Girl
was put in an eye-catching run. The well bred Montesoro who was out for
an airing, finished on strongly and he is ready to strike.
Dhariwal saddled a brace of winners as apart from Caprese, Solar Crystal
swamped the opposition to win by a widening margin of eight lengths over
First Trick. Dominic trained First Trick came in for spirited betting
but she was flat-footed by Solar Crystal who left the field for dead at
the top of the straight.
Alannah was fancied to win the mile long affair but the five-year old
mare was sluggish at the start and jockey Srinath sat behind at the rear
so much so that the late-finishing effort only added to the frustration
of those who put faith in her abilities. Ranveer who had not been
allowed to run to potential thus far, showed his powers when bolting in
well clear of the field.
Another well backed horse to bite the dust was Storm Flag Flying who
ended up a tame third. Worth A Gold, who had let down a few times as a
fancied runner, relished the conditions to win with a great deal of
comfort at fancy odds. Jockey Harish on Dangerous Diva had his legs
dangling and he made a belated effort to get his feet back in the
stirrup. Dangerous Diva, who was loitering at the wrong end of the
field, came charging home to be a prominent fourth. The Stewards, who
ordered an enquiry into the riding of Harish, suspended the jockey for
12 race days for his indifferent ride. However, Harish showed no such
tantrums in the concluding race of the day when steering favourite
Limeklins to a narrow win over a late-finishing Choreographer.
