Anacita triggers off a devastating run to prove her versatility
By Usman Rangila
Mumbai
January 21, 2003
Recording a fluent victory after being asked to concede chunks of weight to your rivals is no mean task. It is one of the sure signs of versatility in a horse that accomplishes this job. The dark bay mare Anacita, who was carrying an imposing 62kg on her back, underlined this distinction when she took home the Nijinsky Trophy in fine style on Wednesday. No wonder that her sporting owner Bobby Suri, who recently acquired Anacita in partnership with trainer Michael Eshwer, couldn’t stop raving about the fabulous performance of his property.
The daughter of Cristofori out of Scent of Clover was never famous for her initial speed but there were no doubts about her ability to accelerate in the closing stages of a race. Having been associated with a majority of her conquests in Western India, jockey C. Rajendra had no hesitation in settling Anacita behind the frontrunners headed by Malesh Narredu-ridden Seattle Swan. The leader called it a day in the last 200m where Code Red looked menacing for a while. Rajendra, in the meantime, triggered off a devastating run that left the opposition paralysed. Code Red held on to the runner-up berth with Don’t Look Twice appearing on the scene with great reluctance to finish third. For no apparent rhyme or reason, the burden of the public purse was placed on Raptures’ shoulders. The mare from Imtiaz Sait’s yard surprised nobody when she kept herself aloof from the winning line.
Mid-week racing once again proved to be a scourge for the bookmakers. With no signs of support appearing in favour of Rainbow Warrior in the curtain raiser, the betting largely concentrated on Dare To Dream and Moonlight Fantasy. The latter in fact cornering a fair share of the smart money that flowed into the market. More than anything else, the weight of money turned out to be a stopper for the mare saddled by Nana Raghunath. Her saddle-partner Satish Nayak was unable to stop Moonlight Fantasy from veering out under pressure. He lacked maturity and also the presence of mind to stem the drift of the mare by changing his whip hand. The Magansingh Jodha-saddled colt Dare To Dream, who was handed over the mantle by Rainbow Warrior at the turn, stuck to his task under the strong handling of Bajrang Singh and won warding off the threat posed by Moonlight Fantasy.
Daughterofcharity, bred as full-sister to the speedy Dancing Greens, lived up to the expectations of all her admirers when she showed a clean pair of heels to her opponents. Elezibeth Arden had the upper hand in the initial 50m from where she was left chasing the shadows of Daughterofcharity, who was sent out in top fettle by ex-jockey S.M. Johnson.
The decision to discontinue the use of pacifiers on Douglas paid off for trainer Faisal Abbas. The bay son of Batzushka out of Sushannah took a level jump with the other eight contenders and proved too good for them in the end. Super Model sneaked her way into the lead at the bend but found the onslaught of Douglas unbearable.
Discover defied the handicapper by producing another rewarding performance in the hands of F. Irani. The Amjad Khan-trainee travelled on the bit till the last furlong where Irani joined the fray with favourite Charging Rhino. Discover managed to prevail over his adversary in the last few strides.
Trainer Nina Lalwani finally led her first winner of the season when Canny Lad went pillar to post in the Bucephalus Trophy. Pesi Shroff made effective use of his whip to keep the son of Forest Fair going. Borzu warmed up late when the race was almost over bar the shouting. King Emperor finished a tame third.
Ashbourne (Don’t Forget Me-Dizzy Heights) graduated from the maiden ranks when Samuel Fargeat gave able guidance to the grey filly trained by Sorab Jilla. There was enthusiastic betting on Sweet Success in anticipation of an improved performance as the chestnut had been tracking impressively in company of his superior stable companions, He, however, ran like an absolute dud. Sweet Success was in striking position as Vlei called the early shots and it appeared that the former would draw away when given his head. But Sweet Success refused to budge from his place and dropped out of contention gradually. Favourite Opium, on the other hand, was curiously placed in a hopeless position as the start was given and her late charge couldn’t stop Ashbourne from hoisting the victory flag.
