MONSOON 2000-2001  :  CALCUTTA RACE REVIEWS

Cristopher, Vijay emerge champions
It was curtain to the 2001 Calcutta monsoon season on Friday. The 17-Day season had more of lows than highs to its credit that the Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) would like to remember.  More...

Favourites fail on a wet track
It was an enchanting fare on Wednesday (October 3) though most of the course-favourites failed after a popular start with the runaway victory of a 3-10 hot-fancy Calamint in the opener the Fathom Five Handicap.  More...

Cristopher guides Alamito to Derby win, Rutherford stood down
Alamito completed the formality of winning the 2,000-metre Calcutta Derby Trial Stakes on Saturday and so did a number of other odds-on favorite on a day which promised very little in terms of competition.  More...

'Harry' got judicious ride in Monsoon Cup
Jockey Rutherford Alford was, once again, at his best on September 26. The apprentice riding a very well-judged race on Harry The Horse out-smarted a strongly fancied Alkido in the 2,000-metre Monsoon Cup, the showpiece of the season. More...

A Day of Excitement
Calcutta racing is known to produce excitement of nothing but Wednesday's (September 19) big fields promised better things. Therefore, the excitement was packed in the six-event race-card virtually from pillar-to-post in the jackpot legs. More...

Ispahan gives an easy ride to Rutherford
All favourite delivered the goods in the opening four events yet the jackpot pool paid rich dividends of over Rs 17 thousand on each of the six winning tickets, thanks to victory of Ispahan in the Mamma's Mink Cup and Addab in the concluding event, the Noble Fairy Handicap. More...

Alford cousins steal limelight
Poor fields notwithstanding, the Wednesday afternoon's six-event card produced exciting results. So much so, the jackpot pool paid out a near six-digit dividend of Rs 94,169/- despite the fact that the day was ruled by in-form Alford cousins -- Cristopher and Rutherford. More...

Alcalde wins a lackadaisical 'Trial'

Wednesday but Cristopher Alford, the jockey of the piping hot-favourite,  made heavy weather of it as he guided the Rebounding Thrill-Nimble to a shade under three-length victory. More...

Cristopher's three horses triumphed despite expanding odds
  
An air of suspecion gripped the race-crowd in almost all the six events on Wednesday. If Ascoril's ability to negotiate the mile and quarter trip was questioned after her debacle in the Fillies Trial Stakes, doubts were also raised if all was well with Aracruz. More...

Lesser fancied Ballet Master keeps up 'Independence' jinx
The jinx that favourites rarely win the Independence Cup, held on last Thursday, was, once again, in evidence when the Daniel David-trained lesser fancied colt Ballet Master walked away with the prestigious event.  More...

Andrada toyed with her only rival in the 'Stakes'

The two-horse field in the Calcutta Fillies Trial Stakes will certainly go into record books of the monsoon season turf history as the smallest ever classic-line-up.   More...

Prince Obolensky was a deserving winner

Every racecourse in the world is known to have a fair share of punters who always smell a rat when results of any race fail to match there own workings.  More...

From brickbats to bouquets

It was a case of ‘from brickbats to bouquets’ for the champion jockey Cristopher Alford in a short span of little under three hours on an another exciting day of racing last Wednesday. More...

Fare turned exciting despite small fields

The fare throughout the Friday afternoon was an exciting, though a number of favourites brought about a big disappointment and despite the fact that fields were poor in most of the events. More...

Cristopher cashed in on Khan’s folly

Yet again a point was proved, on Wednesday, that a good jockey is always a wise investment. He, not only give correct assessment and feedback about his mount to his connections, he can also win races in tight situations.
More...

Annalee served notice of things to follow

Although her moment of glory is yet to follow, Annalee, with eight wins from as many career starts, is turning out to be an enviable sprinter. The way the Gold Discovery-Precocity had the measure of her stablemate Alyssum in the 1,200-metre Commuter Cup last Thursday, it has become difficult to gauge as to where the Vijay Singh-trained filly is going to stop. More...

Favourites belie expectations

Competition turned out to be very tough for the ‘ring’ favourites and they met with a nine-pin-like-fall on Day One of the Calcutta monsoon season which kicked off on Thursday. So much so, none of the six public choices could manage to come to terms with the reality that a victory can not be taken for granted unless one has done one’s home-work right.   More...