Season begins on a disastrous note
By Aalibaba

Justifying the racing adage, smaller the fields bigger the upsets, outsiders, on Thursday, the opening day of the Calcutta monsoon season, dealt a severe blow. With lesser fancied runners, rather a lesser known trainer Errol Bhungard, dominating the seven-event card, punters had no clue as to what was going on. A heavily wagered Smart Charmer, in the Everynsky Cup, and Followme in the concluding event, the Bright Hanover Handicap, were the only two favourites who managed to deliver, on an otherwise disastrous afternoon. 

Bhungard saddled four winners, while his mentor Daneil David led-in two, thus making a virtual clean-sweep for Dr. MAM Ramaswamy and his allied colours. Incidentally, Jockey K. Kariappa, whose services were requisitioned because of Amyn Merchant’s chest injury, finished the day with a fine treble. On Wednesday, an unruly young horse kicked Merchant during the morning trials.

Ballet Master (K Kariappa up) who won the Turf Hawk cup

The other highlight of the day was the victory of Bhungard’s Ballet Master over Daniel’s Moon Mission in the day’s chief event, the Turf Hawk Cup. It was Moon Mission who led practically from the start and also managed to hold on to the advantage. But his erratic stretch-run having greatly disturbed Ballet Master’s progress, the stewards upheld the objection after a prolonged 40-minute enquiry.

The afternoon begun with the expected favourite Never Mind pulling out of the Hydrofoil Handicap. Vijay Singh’s Altigraph, thus, was sent to the start as a half-money favourite. However, it was the bottom-weighted Daniel’s mare Bigshow who lived up to her name as she built up a sizeable lead right right after the gates opened and left the public-fancy in futile chase.

The four-year-old Altigraph’s past record was, of course, never so bright but an eight-length beating at the hands of a poorly performed five-year-old certainly left one wondering. Smart Charmer attracted support in tonnnes, prompting odds of the topweighted Star Cutter to expand from evens to 4’s when a word went around that all was not well with the Richard Alford-trainee, in spite of Rutherford Alford’s presence in the saddle. Rutherford, nevertheless, tried his utmost in the race – keeping Star Cutter right behind Smart Charmer who had gone skating clear into a four-length lead no sooner the starter dispatched the field. The Charmer galloped merrily in front while the Cutter found the going tough even before the field turned for home. The Daniel-trainee won by a distance, and pulling up, as Actable and Bay Dragon fought for minor placings. With Daniel having finished his quota of winners after the second race, it was Bhungard’s turn to make it four-in-a-row. More than the improvement shown by Bhungard’s winners, it was their fitness that helped them score by wide margins. It will be foolhardy for the follower of the sport to take the performance of hungard-winners on their face value when working on handicaps in future. Gallant Romeo, Bhungard’s first winner, was help in tight grip by Kariappa while Flossy galloped alongside. The six-year-old kicked away in the stretched run to leave Flossy to survive a scare from Sergeant Slipper, another of Bhungard-trainee who covered miles of ground in the final two furlongs. Software, the odds on favourites, was never in the race as she shuttled between the fourth and the fifth slots before finishing in the rear.

April Ace, a five-year-old Bhungard-mare has more letdowns to her name than laurels. An 8-1 shot while Vijay’s King’s Crest, surprisingly, cornered the betting at 6-10, April Ace came with a late run, inside the last furlong, to run over the favourite who had assumed the charge of running right from the start.

Ballet Master, in the Turf Hawk Cup, had to win the trophy in the stewards’ room from the original winner Moon Mission. Trying to win from the start, Moon Mission, in the home-run, was seen cutting an erratic course thus, not only pushing the favourite Ballet Master towards the outer rails, the filly also disturbed the movements of Kargil Soldier. It prompted riders of the two runner ups to take up the matter in the court of stewards. However, it was apparent that the Ballet Master’s objection would be upheld while one was not very sure about the other. Rightly so, Kargil Soldier’s protest did not find favour with the stewards, thus, Moon Mission was lucky to have slid down only to the second slot. Moon Mission, the Always A Rainbow-Moccasin daughter, nevertheless, may not miss the winning bracket in her next start.

It may have looked to be gymkhana races trick, but Bhungard and his connection had no clue about it when the course-favourite Brave Venture was surprised by his stablemate, Schumacher – also owned by the same set of owners. 

Up with the leaders – Sariano and Giorgio – Schumacher was, apparently, there to make it a little more difficult for the leaders when he assumed the command of running nearing the final-turn. However, the six-year-old ended up too comfortable upfront for the favourite to catch-up with him.

The results of the last race was expected to follow the day’s trend, thus prompted the layers of odds to be generous with Followme. The Bharath Singh-filly opened as an even-money favourite but went to the start as a joint 5-2 fancy with Land of Fantasy. However, the end result was an easy victory for the top weighted Followme. The Batzshuka-Fusion three-year-old is sure to win again in an open class company.