Yogender Singh corners limelight on Saturday with a memorable hat-trick 
By Usman Rangila

Mumbai
April 10, 2004

In-form apprentice Yogender Singh cornered all the limelight by booting home a memorable hat-trick in the seven-race card run on Saturday and which was dominated by favourites. Yogender first steered Mansoor Shah’s trainee Master Zahir to an overdue win in the curtain raiser and the task of the seven-year-old grey gelding was made a great deal easy by the mediocre bunch of contestants. Communicator laboured hard so as not to lose the runner-up slot. Fly A Kite did not show any sparkle and retired to be a tame fourth behind Wine N’ Song, the stable-mate of the winner.

The aged gelding Habit from Hormuz Antia’s barns provided Yogender his second success of the day. The chestnut son of Serious Spender did not allow any of his seven rivals to come close once he took a smart jump from the barriers. Habit was in no danger of being caught although Grease Lightning did make a futile attempt to overhaul him in the home stretch. Viceroy, who garnered good support in the betting ring, never shaped like a threat to the winner and could not save place money as Rodeo Romeo pipped him on the post. Aadesh Kumar-driven Pearl Harbour, who was second-in-demand only to Habit before Viceroy upstaged him from that position, never seemed interested in the proceedings and not surprisingly did the candidate from Rehanullah Khan’s stable fail to grace the judges’ board.

Yogender rode a marvellous race astride Bezan Chenoy-saddled Dunbar (Sir Bruce-Caleche) to bag the P.D. Bolton Trophy, the feature event of the day, and also to achieve the first hat-trick of his career. Favourite Donegal Bay’s runaway tactics came to nought when Yogender alerted Dunbar, who was lying third or fourth at that stage, and found the response immediate and electric at that one. There was hardly any resistance offered by Donegal Bay to the onslaught unleashed by Dunbar for whom the conquest was quick and easy in the end. Dunbar thus earned the third win of his current campaign.

Greenfield graduated from the maiden ranks to give her master trainer Mansoor Shah his second winner of the day. The four-year-old bay daughter of Greensmith out of Astreus surged past the leader Truth Prevails when apprentice Neeraj Rawal changed gears opposite the grand stands. Latest News rallied on without creating any waves to finish second ahead of Castle Beauty and Truth Prevails. The rest of the runners were simply out for an airing.

Narendra Lagad-trained Confident (Diffident-Nose Gay) had the benefit of three outings and having finished third behind Path of Fortune and Elezibeth Arden in his initial two runs, he was duly installed as the favourite to win the Hungarian Rhapsody Plate. Surprisingly, the odds against the ante post favourite Confident spiralled with every passing minute as the thirteen contestants were on their way to the starting stalls. Nevertheless, the Harish Rathod-ridden bay almost caught his opponents on the wrong foot as he took a flying start and embarked on a pillar-to-post mission. Confident was successful in brushing off the momentary aggression unleashed by Naughty Boy after the field entered the home stretch and appeared to be on course to his maiden victory. Dr Anil Kumar-saddled debutant Glory Of The Family (Concordial-Golden Wish), however, soon called his bluff. The bay gelding accelerated well under the whip of Bangalore-based rider A.R. Mani and stormed home to make a winning debut. Dilaawar and Romantic Ridge ran on to complete the frame.

Hosidar Daji’s ward Asian Express (Young Senor-Miss Oriental) made it two in a row in the hands of P. Kamlesh. This he achieved at the expense of on-money favourite Pitlochry. The Bezan Chenoy-nursed filly raced in a striking position behind Faster Than Light (formerly Grand Ambition) who showed the way to the nine-horse field and brought them into the home straight. With about 600m left for home Pitlochry stumbled and in the process of which her saddle also slipped. The favourite still managed to gain the upper hand over Faster Than Light but Yogender was almost dislodged from his seat as the saddle gave way. Asian Express powered his way and seized the opportunity to register an encore.

Anna Karenina, who hails from the yards of Shiraz Sunderji, gave a speedy display and made every pole of the Tuco Toucan Plate a winning one. Irish jockey Mark Gallagher gave able assistance to the Diffident progeny as she tried to veer out from the rails in the closing stages of the scurry. Command Zone, who recently migrated to the barns of Mansingh Jadhav, put in a late run to deprive Daisy Cutter the second berth. Magic Honey ended a game fourth as both Lake District and Extraordinary did a disappearing act and never graced the finish.