Democraticus resumes his winning ways 
By True Blue

Mumbai
Apr 07, 2007

Democraticus (Royal Kingdom–Mea Culpa) returned to form in the Grade 3 Maharaja Sir Harisinghji Trophy after being hard hit by an infection which was detected subsequent to his poor showing in the Eclipse Stakes of India in February. The bay gelding struggled to find his rhythm in the initial stages of the Maharaja Sir Harisinghji Trophy (Gr.3) and Malesh Narredu had to prod him hard when Priapus slipped through along the rails to join issue with Beyond Belief. Both Priapus and Beyond Belief were unable to zip away and it worked to the advantage of Democraticus. He responded to Malesh’s call and swooped down on his rivals. Beyond Belief was the first to fall and was soon followed by Priapus. Democraticus went on to provide Nosher Cama his third win this season. Beyond Belief, it must be said, found the race coming too soon for his comfort but was not disgraced in this defeat as he fought bravely after being asked to match strides with top-class horses in a terms race within a fortnight of his last contest.

The start-to-finish tactics of Don Surti’s ward Don’t Be Silly almost paid off but he ran out of fuel in the shadow of the winning post and was pipped by Sandeep Mangalorkar saddled Stud of Gold (Conquering Hero–Mallaig) in virtually the last stride. Stud of Gold with C. Rajendra astride was in hot pursuit of Don’t Be Silly and it was this strict vigil that was instrumental in pulling off a stunning victory. Zameer Sayyed appeared slightly reluctant to use his stick astride Don’t Be Silly probably because he was already in the dock for a whipping offence last week. Rank outsider Fair Tactics overcame a sluggish start and finished on impressively to sneak in to the third place ahead of Asclepieion, whose debut was reportedly delayed due to a setback mid-way this season and he showed the tendency to hang out when following leader Don’t Be Silly into the straight.

Veteran Bezan Chenoy led in a popular double through Elmwood and Portrush but would’ve surely been disappointed with the performance of Strathendrick who flopped badly. Elmwood (Glory of Dancer– Baloustar) made up for his previous loss against Chagall when K. P. G. Appu divested Hoofbeats of the command opposite the stands. The dark bay gelding won convincingly from King’s Desire and Star O’War.

Bezan and Appu wrapped up the day’s proceedings with Portrush (Razeen – Husun), who finally managed to find his way to the winner’s enclosure after playing second fiddle three times in a row. Portrush made steady progress on outside to close the gap on leader The Brave Heart. Portrush stormed into the lead when the field straightened for home and left his rivals stranded. The Brave Heart held on to finish second ahead of Dancing Diva who was outpaced throughout.

Strathendrick though advantageously placed on the scales didn’t do much on the racetrack to justify her position as an on-money favourite. A similar display came from second-in-demand Cosmic Flower. Blazing Speed took up the running initially and it was only Lago Medio who appeared to be in the reckoning as the rest of them were positioned far away. Blazing Speed shrugged off the bravado of Lago Medio but failed to thwart the onslaught of Ponyta (Placerville – Time And Time). The Asad Siddiqui schooled mare set alight the tracks when C. S. Jodha showed her the daylight and this marauding run of Ponyta caught Blazing Speed right on the post. Strathendrick made his presence felt in the race by completing the frame with his late run.

Uproar (Don Micheletto – Grand Start) from trainer Shiraz Sunderji’s fold showed remarkable improvement over his previous runs to gain his maiden win in the hands of Aadesh Kumar. The pre-race favourite Ekofisk ran pathetically but that didn’t surprise many as they got a premonition of her fate when the bookies gave her a thumbs-down in the betting ring. Ekofisk ran a dismal fourth behind Modesty and Fleeting Moment.

Hormuz Antia trainee Gates of Victory (Conquering Hero – Farmacologist) shouldered the penalty earned for his last win to post another victory, this time with the assistance of C. Rajendra. Favourite Private Eye failed to prove his worth once again and ran a tame second ahead of Bridge Too Far and Open Season.

Narendra Lagad’s candidate Hector (Diffident – Abound) showed a clean pair of heels to his rivals after Satish Nayak took him to the front and lasted out to win from Much Faster, who lost precious ground when coming too wide to make his bid. Simply Perfect was never in the hunt and ended in the rut.

Anil Kumar’s Diplomatic Licence (Local Talent – Fiddlin Fanny) had another fortuitous success coming his way. The ante post favourite Aqua Glow was withdrawn on veterinary grounds and Diplomatic Licence fully utilised this opportunity to his own advantage. Ishtar hung out badly at a crucial stage while Amadomio was never expected to last this trip though some knowledgeable people thought otherwise and wasted their money.