IMPERIAL SCHOLAR STRIKES OLD FORM

ROBERT FOLEY   trained Imperial Scholar, the erstwhile South India Derby winner and whose best was the fourth to Forest Fantasy ahead of Star Supreme in the Classic Indian Turf Invitation Cup at Hyderabad two years ago, finally struck form after a series of indifferent performances at Mysore to win the Governor's Gold Cup, a 2000 metres terms race for four year olds and over, the feature event of the races held on Friday (September 29).

Imperial Scholar who let down his supporters as a favourite over seven furlongs in his last essay, relished the extended trip while staving off the challenge of owner-mate Sterling Fantasy. For the umpteenth time, Darius  Byramji's Baffin Bay let down his supporters. The moody customer strikes only when he is not carrying the burden of public expectations.

Baffin Bay who had recorded a shock win in his last outing as a rank outsider, was the betting rage but the Placerville-Bougrine four-year old gelding ran a dismal race and was never in the hunt. Jockey Prakash who is enjoying good slice of luck these days took Imperial Scholar to the front midway through the race and the Private Man-Melodrama six-year old held on gamely to win from Sterling Fantasy who put up an improved show as compared to his last dismal run.

Imperial Scholar was quoted at fancy odds which was surprising considering that he was an overwhelming favourite in his last run. Ace Academy took the second spot ahead of seven-year old Sun Reality who continued to be zestful. Top-weighted Carnival Flair did not get the extended trip well and the Wattlefield progeny can strike after some more drop in scale.

Traditionally Mysore races are tricky. Quite a few horses do not relish the going there and if it rains, the conditions become terrible. It was no surprise that the punters took a pounding as the underfoot conditions were anything but ideal. Annatto who had run behind Resist the Force was the firm favourite to win the Sanctity Gold Cup but the Steinbeck progeny  was stunned by Madhu Mangalorkar Akasaka who won from end to end, with Annatto failing to qucken at the all important end. The defeat of Annatto coming soon after that of Baffin Bay did not definitely endear jockey Aslam Kader to the punters. One So Wonderful who is troubled by a tendon problem, finished a poor third.

With money coming in a big way on Placid Ark, the odds on the other key players of the race namely  Key Witness, Oser and Enough Is Enough were generous. In the event, it was Puttanna trained King's Common who delivered the sucker punch to the beleaguered punters, winning in a four-horse photo finish. Self Esteem, another lesser fancied horse lost out by 1/2 a length, with two short heads separating the nest two runners namely Key Witness and Placid Ark.

Krishnan who steered King's Common to a narrow win was however not so lucky in the day's opener on Ericsson  who lost to  Dad's Joy in a close finish. Super Ace who came in for spirited betting was a close third ahead of   Speedy Idea. Had Ericsson won, Puttanna's connections would have been on cloud nine as both these horses were quietly fancied and together with the victory of Augil Castle at nourishing odds, they would have had a fantastic day. There is no body better than Puttanna when it comes to bringing off coups and disguising the form of his horses from the preying punters who want to cash in on ahead of the connections.

Madras trainer Nizamuddin opened his account through Catch Word who won quite competently from rank outsider Hoyo Hoyo, with favourite Passionaria running below expectations.

With a flood of money coming on Gallant Romeo, the Robert Foley ward won as a well-backed horse should. Breaking News was strongly fancied to win but the Kly Green progeny was a poor second. Yet another of those quietly fancied winners from Foley's yard was Splendid chance who won  the Hyderabad Race Club Gold Cup (Div I). Volcano who was the betting rage, quoted at unbackable oddds of 40/100, was not sighted. The trainer-owner combination of Mangalorkar and Savi Jain who had a great Bangalore Summer season, have found the going in Mysore going against them. Earlier in the season, they had an expensive failure in Ride With Pride.

JOCKEY ASLAM KADER's runaway tactics on Merano paid handsome dividends as the hitherto unreliable Placerville progeny  won from end to end from a late-finishing Sea Witch. Carbon Copy was third ahead of Bank of Promise.

The way Cape Star was backed to the exclusion of the rest in the Police Cup (Div I), it looked as though the Pradeep Annaiah ward would win untroubled. But Cape Fear who has so far been a let down, failed to quicken as the front-running Optical Illusion held on comfortably from Venture Adventure. Cape Fear was a tame third. Optical Illusion had the credentilas but the way money poured in on Cape Fear it looked like Cape Fear had only to complete the formality. The lower division of the race was claimed by Sriram Komandur's Swift.

Though there were nine races framed for the day, with no quality runners, racing was lackluster. The Justice P Medappa Memorial Trophy (Div I)   went the way of the well supported Supreme Ark who won quite capably in the hands of jockey Appu. Supreme Ark had been a big let down during his sojourn at Mumbai and Pune. The lower division of the same race was claimed by Sand Lord who won at the expense of Scandal Sheet who was steered by Mrs Silva Storai. The only woman jockey in the country who has had good success, however, is unlucky as she could have easily  doubled the number of winners with better luck. Her losses have been mostly in close finishes. It is difficult to say if a stronger jockey would have made a difference to the outcome of these races. For, the same horses have run poorly in the hands of top jockeys. May be there is something to the way Silva handles her horses which gets encouraging response but which is not good enough to deliver the goods.

Darius Byramji's Saffron Finch who had run a suggestive fourth despite being handled tenderly, came good as a strongly fancied horse and won the Sindivadi Estate Cup (Div II), staving off the challenge of Don King who galloped in snatches. After being passed by the eventual winner, Don King came up with a re-run only to be shy at the finish by half a length. The upper division of the race went the way of the fancied Alministar who won at the expense of  on-money favourite Appeaer.

Robert Foley's Prismatic had the merit to win the Her Majesty Plate. That at least was the perception of all the race-goers who made the got-abroad filly  the firm favourite but their expectation was belied as the issue was confined to rank outsiders in Forest Pegasus and Ratn. Prismatic finished down the field.