Silver Print wins unchallenged
By Aalibaba (indiathoroughbreds@hotmail.com)Kolkata
Feb 13, 2007
The 2800m Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Gr.3) turned out to be a one-horse race as the Vijay Singh trained filly, Silver Print, took advantage of her better-fancied stablemate, Amorina's withdrawal from the small field to win unchallenged. Silver Print led from the start and the superiority of the Steinbeck-Silver City daughter was never in doubt.
There was a little bit of drama before Amorina was withdrawn from the field. The filly was noticeably trotting lame in the paddock during the pre-race parade, yet she was certified fit by the RCTC’s veterinary surgeon. It was only at the insistence of Cyrus Madan, a Steward of the Club, that the 12-10 favourite was recalled from the race track, and subsequently withdrawn. Silver Print’s backers had no cause to complain but bookmakers did cry foul as the withdrawal of Amorina was subjected to a mere 25 percent deduction from the winning bets on Silver Print. Had Amorina not been in the original line-up Silver Print would have been a 3-10 hot favourite to win. Nevertheless, the afternoon was fairly well attended, and barring the Amorina affair, it provided an exciting day of racing in the nine-event race card. Half-a-dozen foreign Consulates in the city have been sponsoring races on Queen’s Cup day since last year and this has definitely helped in improving the sagging profile of RCTC.
The Metropolitan, a 1200m sprint, exposed RCTC’s top-Class performers after the Mumbai migrant, Get Fresh, overhauled the opposition. Trainer Richard Alford’s new acquisition was enjoying a big pull of 13kg from the top-weighted Aristotle. Get Fresh was held back in fifth till the final furlong before unleashing an unstoppable burst. The horse, however, failed to keep a straight course and Neeraj Rawal was hard pressed to stop him from shifting-in.
Trainer Robin Corner notched up a popular double through, Glenbervie and Supreme Power – both favourites in their respective events, the French Cup and the Philippine Cup. Glenbervie, who won from the start, gave an armchair ride to Suraj Narredu. The four-year-old is sure to strike again if he retains his fine condition.
Supreme Power finally earned a winning bracket after his numerous failures since arriving from Bangalore last winter. However, it wasn’t an easy win as Water Wood offered stiff resistance till 100m from the winning post. In the same race, Javed Khan’s Alarico attracted a massive support but the horse found the six-furlong trip a wee bit sharp to his liking.
Javed’s Priceless Hero was the other one who earned his corn bill after umpteen numbers of failures. In the 1100m Germany Cup Priceless Hero stretched away from the field at the top of the home turn for a comfortable win. Vikash Jaiswal’s Shining Example, who troubled the winner till the halfway mark, found him too brilliant in the homeward journey. Third placed Zeus needed this run.
Tarak Nath Jaiswal pulled off a big gamble in the Touch of Silver Cup when his Desire Prince cashed in on his superior speed to return a facile winner. His victims included a friendless, Fast Love, and a heavily wagered Bountiful Memories.
The first-half of the card was dominated by trainer Daniel David and his former deputy, Errol Bhungard. The day’s opener, the Calorescence Cup, was an easy pick for Bhungard’s King Is Born. He established a two-length lead from the home turn and was never really challenged by the public-choice El Cid. Chisty, who partnered the winner, was again in the winner’s enclosure, guiding Daniel’s King’s Charter to an impressive four-length victory in the Portugal Cup. Kept in a check till the final turn, Chisty brought the Charter six-wide into the straight and won the way he liked. Legacy Hunter, the even-money favourite, was a poor third.
Bhungard’s Time To Dream scored back-to-back victories when winning the Chile Cup. More importantly, the second victory of the Forest Fair mare was more facile than her first one to suggest she is improving with each run.
