Secret Warrior and
Shyboy were the two most favoured by the terms of the race in the
nine-horse field. As far as Adam’s Star and Oyster Cove were concerned,
the balance appeared one-sided in favour of the former as both were
carrying 49 kilos on their backs. Bettors naturally took a liking for Adam’s
Star. Secret Warrior and Oyster Cove were next in the queue as interest
in Shyboy waned.
Oyster Cove splashed another scintillating performance for the benefit
of the racing pundits. The Shiraz Sunderji trained son of Royal Kingdom
out of Gumbaru Etsu has been ever so obliging in the hands of the
blossoming rider Nirmal Jodha since the start of the season and this
alliance set up their third big win. The success of Oyster Cove has, in
a way, helped showcase the talent and big-race temperament of Nirmal.
Nirmal played a waiting game astride Oyster Cove and let him loose on
his rivals only when heads had turned for home. It was not exactly a
cakewalk for him and as the bay gelding had to engage in a fierce battle
with Adam’s Star before gaining the upper hand close home. Oyster Cove
was not in the comfort zone as yet. Secret Warrior posed a grave threat
to his chances with a blazing run on the wide
outside. The winning post arrived just in time for
Oyster Cove and this effort underlined his credentials as a worthy nominee for the Sprinters’ Cup.
Golden Triangle was another Royal Kingdom progeny to romp home during
the day. The Bharath Singh trainee gave Naill McCullagh an armchair ride
in the Irish Trophy after taking over the mantle from Esperante.
Rosenkavalier chances against Golden Triangle looked bright when he
found spirited support in the betting ring. But that proved to be an
illusion as the condition of Vinayak’s candidate was akin to that of a
fish out of water. Malesh Narredu was unable to provide
any help and the second favourite languished at the tail end of the
field.
Malesh however rode the two juvenile fillies, Giacosa and Dynasty, with
aplomb in their respective races. Giacosa (Placerville – Puzla) from
Vinayak’s barns was taken pillar-to-post by Malesh and the classy filly
remained unruffled in the Nitco Million till the end. Fabulous Emperor
faced too many roadblocks during the journey and came into the picture
only when Giacosa had wrapped up the issue. Rainbow Bay exceeded many
expectations to run third and gave an indication that he won’t linger in
maiden company for long.
After guiding Giacosa, Malesh seemed to have carried on from where he had
left earlier and Dynasty won the Bahrain Trophy in similar fashion. Once
she hit the front, the Pesi Shroff saddled daughter of Conquering Hero
out of Scossa gave none of her seven rivals any chance to come close. Red Dawn came with a late flourish to deny
a leisurely Star Girl the runner-up slot.
Colm O’Donoghue piloted High Rising flopped badly after failing to carry
the burden on his back and was stunned on the post by Hanut Singh
trained Mint Master (Duja – Mariana). The P. S. Deora ridden winner
entered the home stretch last as High Rising was busy sorting out the
matter with leader Sharapova. High Rising took charge but struggled to
sustain the lead. Mint Master was belted by Deora to overwhelm the
leader.
Viceroy (Twist And Turn – Vibrance) brought double cheer for Hanut as
he obliged in the concluding race but he should remain indebted to T. S.
Jodha for allowing him to prevail in the end. Falaknuma with Jodha on
board looked ominous at one stage but Viceroy somehow managed to emerge
unscathed from that onslaught.
Scarsdale (Diffident – Song of Myself) was confidently steered by C.
Rajendra as the Imtiaz Sait schooled filly stayed clear from the reach
of bottom-weighted Understanding. The favourite duo, Zephyrella and
Premier Galaxy, ran without raising any hope for their followers.
Rajendra romped home astride the on-money favourite Barbados Skies
(Don’t Forget Me – Three For Fantasy) to complete a popular double.
Sunderji’s candidate however was lucky to escape the clutches of
top-weighted Cosmos, who came tantalisingly close to toppling the
favourite.
