Ronin keeps Aerosat at bay to register a hat-trick
By Usman Rangila

Mumbai
Feb  24, 2005

Defying the handicapper for the third time this season, Pesi Shroff trained five-year-old gelding Ronin completed a hat-trick of wins in the Abdullah Khairaz Trophy here on Sunday. After coming out smartly from the gates and leading for a brief while, jockey Y. S. Srinath had the bay son of Placerville out of Frost Queen settled behind Ballynahinch till the stage when the heads turned for home. Overtaking Ballynahinch was hardly a problem for Srinath yet keeping in mind that he was conceding weight to his rivals, the Bangalore-based rider avoided any undue risk in hustling Ronin too early in the straight. Srinath then timed the victory run of his mount to perfection and despite a late but spirited gallop by Aerosat in the final furlong, Ronin held on gallantly to win by a neck.

But for jockey P. Kamlesh’s rare display of tenacity in the saddle atop High Opinion (Razeen-Finest Hour) in the concluding event, Pesi almost led in his second winner of the day through Stara Zagora. Rose Petals aided by apprentice Vikram Walkar had established a good lead when she took charge from Space Girl at the turn but sustaining the same till the winning post turned out to be a long haul for the filly. High Opinion, who was racing in the colours of his new owner and was sent out by Mansoor Shah, arrived on the scene with Stara Zagora in tow. The two horses went stride for stride but it was the enthusiasm of Kamlesh that prevailed in the end. It is hard to tell whether the betting volume of High Opinion’s owner was instrumental in bringing Kamlesh’s latent skills to the fore. Nonetheless it should not implied that C. Ruzaan had showed any signs of being complacent aboard Stara Zagora in his fight against Kamlesh. To cut the long story short, it must be said that it was simply not his day.

Kamlesh had earlier accomplished a successful mission for Mansoor Shah when Ace of Hearts (Tecorno-Legend) made amends for last Sunday’s failure. Ace of Hearts did not incur any penalty for that run because of the advance publication of the weights and the services of Kamlesh came in handy for the maiden four-year-old gelding. Favourite Dominique was lethargic at the gates and then took a circuitous route when Anil Baandal found a wall of horses racing ahead. The Hormuz Antia trainee managed to finish third behind Firey Future as he pipped Glory Of The Family on the post. Antia got some consolation when P. S. Chouhan’s determined bid saw favourite Cruise Control (Excalibur’s Lake-Bruno Conti) thwart the threat posed by Kamlesh driven Rich N Royal, who once again hung-out in the straight.

The bookies burnt their fingers by offering a generous quote against Nebraska Tornado in the Diablo Plate, the curtain raiser. The grey son of Greensmith out of Romantic Memories had given enough notice of his intentions when finishing fourth behind Flashing Star in the Breeders’ Produce Stakes. Yet, the bookmakers were swayed by the presence of Rosenkavalier, who was said to be a pick among the impressive movers in the morning trials. Irishman Mark Gallagher was engaged in a keen tussle with Nebraska Tornado who fought hard for his head as the gates flew open. This was some cause for concern for some anxious supporters of Nebraska Tornado but Mark never allowed him to bolt. Once he arrived in the safety zone, Mark didn’t refuse Nebraska Tornado a free rein and the grey was simply unstoppable from that moment onwards. Both Easy Spirit and Taanush came from way behind to finish second and third respectively. Rosenkavalier disappointed for the second successive time as finished a poor fourth.

Tribal Warrior and Inkling were the two winners that made a dent in the pockets of the punters. Faisal Abbas saddled Tribal Warrior (Shareef Dancer-Quickening) responded well to the urgings of his lesser-known saddle partner V. Kotwal to take charge from Blazing Arrow and then won warding off the threat posed by Red Hot Babe. Favourite Caring languished towards the inner rails throughout the journey and Anil Baandal was unable to retrieve the Don Surti trained filly after immersing her in a mess. Later, Inkling (Warrshan-Blue Orchid) from trainer Ivor Fernandes’ yards took over the running from no-hoper Sky Hunter on the top of the straight and left her rivals stranded.