BARRIER RIDGE TOO GOOD IN
AV THOMAS TROPHY

Trainer Michael Eshwer leads in Hong Kong Boy (Rakesh up), winner of Sagar Plate.

Trainer Arjun Mangalorkar gleefully leads in Ardous (C Alford up) who record an exciting win over Harry The Horse in the Pune Plate.

NativeTactics (Aslam Kader up), winner of Mysore RaceClub Gold Cup, being led in by trainer Rashid Byramji

Pleasantville (Harish up), winner of Alijah Plate, being led in by trainer J S Pillay (left) and joint owner

Trainer Zareer Darashah leads in Brumpton Road (Md Shafiq up), winner of Talakadu Plate.

 

THE second week of Mysore races too had crowded fields and though there was an odd rank outsider surfacing, form generally held good, with Wednesday's races especially sending the punters home in a happy frame of mind.

Barrier Ridge who had shown indifferent form during the Bangalore Summer Season, and displayed his true potential only in his last run of the season, maintained that form, with an effortless win in the 1400 metres A V Thomas Trophy, a rich terms race for four-year olds and over, the highlight of the programme held on Thursday (August 31).

Tempt Me Not, Barrier Ridge, Crystal Moment and Carnival Flair were all reckoned to have equal chances and as such the odds offered were generous. In the event, the Broto progeny Barrier Ridge who displayed the form he showed last year as a three-year old, won from end to end, with Tempt Me Not in futile chase. Crystal Moment finished third ahead of Carnival Flair who found foot late. Carnival Flair apeared to be a bit rusty and the five-year old mare should be better off for this run.

Apprentice jockey Harish who is enjoying a good season, drove out High Zoom to a narrow win over favourite Brave Edge in the Somanathapur Plate, a race for horses rated 15 and below, a race restricted for five year-olds and over. Brave Edge had recorded his maiden win during the Bangalore Summer Season and that win had come about mainly because of the power-packed riding by Malesh Narredu. The gelding no doubt had shown improvement but jockey Abraham was not upto staving off the challenge of High Zoom who spared a neck at the finish. In a three-horse photo-finish, the one-eyed Golden Eye was only a head behind the runner-up.

There was much hype about Activator who had belied the expectations in his last run at Bangalore. Now backed to the exclusion of his rivals, the Razeen progeny had little difficulty in keeping the second favourite, Elegant Rainbow at bay. Saturn Star was a leisurly third.

Lesser fancied Brompton Road, in the hands of apprentice Md Shafiq, yet another of the budding talents, emerged triumphant in the Talakadu Plate, a race for horses rated below 15. Bessie was a late finishing second ahead of Finders Keepers. Rashid Byramji rarely has a horse in the lowest class and Finders Keepers belonged to  that rare breed.

In a race dominated by lesser fancied ones, Ardous and Harry The Horse fought off a thrilling battle, with the former getting the nod from the photo-finish camera. Favourite Odeon ran like a dud and finished a miserable seventh. Harry The Horse who had run some good races during the Bangalore Summer Season and Ardous fought out the issue in the last 100 metres but the latter who had the first run, held on by a whisker. Six-year old Supreme Ark finished from far behind to take the third spot.

There was inspired support from B K Arshad's Refresher and the Be Fresh progeny justified the optimism by recording a hard-fought win over favourite Argolis. Argolis had stolen a mach over the opposition at the top of the straight but the strong pursuasive efforts of Rakesh had the desired result as the second favourite came up with a strong run to pip the favourite on the post. Armiger was a suggestive third.

Darius Byramji's Baffin Bay has been an enigma. There is hardly anyone who works as brilliantly as Baffin Bay during the morning work-outs but he has always flopped in a race. As such, he was ignored in the betting ring. The Placerville progeny ran to his potential when he easily had the measure of favourite Concur. Incidentally, Concur had lost as a strongly fancied horse during the Bangalore Summer Season, finishing third to Royal Satin which had resulted in the parting of ways between jockey Gallagher and Concur's connections. Aerobee who has been a champion performer at Mysore, was third over this extended trip of a mile.

Michael Eshwer's Hong Kong Boy's win in the 1600 metres Sagar Plate was so impressive that this Placerville progeny should repeat notwithstanding the stiff penalty that he may receive for this runaway win. The unreliable Classic Pursuit who has not lived upto expectations was second ahead of Crown Haunt, who came from nowhere to figure prominently at the finish. Crown Haunt, once hailed as a classic prospect, has just one win to his credit.

AXE had to be driven out by jockey Warren Singh to contain the challenge of Almost Heaven to win the 1400 metres Regency Stud Plate, a race for horses 20 to 35, on Wednesday. The Steinbeck-Amberetta  three-year old colt Axe had run some noteworthy races in good company and though he was conceding weight to his adversaries, he nevertheless came out in flying colours. During the closing stages of the race, Almost Heaven bumped Axe and the latter was assured of the race irrespective of the final verdict. Soviet Ace who came in for inspired betting was third.

Jockey Warren Singh was quite pleased with the performance of   Axe. ``I could have won by about two lengths but I did not unduly  extend the horse as I was sure of winning. Axe was only 80 per cent ready and I am sure he will win the Astonish Million race at Pune.''

Apprentice Harish had it easy on Pleasantville in the opener, the Kyl Green progeny sparing a distance to the opposition in the Alijah Plate. Special Quest fialed to live upto expectations. Cliff Side upset the field in the second race, the Yezdi Gold Cup (Div II), barely manaing to keep Chuck Berry at a safe distance. Silk Petals profitted on the consistent runs during Bangalore, with a comfortable win over Beauty Castle and Wakonda.

The day saw Tudor King set a new course record for the 1100 metres trip. Tudor King had to be driven out to contain the challenge of bottom-weighted Semoran to win in one minute 07 seconds, bettering the timing of Alsadena's timing which was one minute 7.45 seconds. Had Semoran not drifted out in the straight, the result could well have been different.

Oser had come down to the right mark and the strong support in the betting ring meant that he was a serious jobber too. The Razeen progeny won by a widening margin of seven lengths over Be In Style who is being targetted for a coup.

Darius Byramji's Native Tactics was another winner who won in record timing. The Bluebird progeny who was reeling off  her third successive win, won the seven furlong race in one minute 24.90 seconds, bettering the record of Polar Falcon. But the record was shortlived as next day, Barrier Ridge broke it with a timing of one minute 24.02 seconds.

The victory of Dior and Flying Singer, both strong public fancies, added to the punters' bliss.

 

 

 

Trainer Satish Narredu leads in Flying Singer (B Prakash up), winner of  Tumkur Plate (Div I)

Owner Vinod Shivappa (right) and trainer C A Kuts lead in Axe (Warren Singh up) after the Steinbeck progenyi's win in the Regency Stud Plate.

Trainer Dominic (left) and owner V V Abdullah lead in Dior (Md Hasnain up),winner of Star of Mysore Gold Cup

Trainer Loknath Gowda leads in Silk Petals (Hanumanth Singh up), winner of  Tumkur Plate (Div II)

Trainer Santosh Rao leads in Cliff Side(Warren Singh up), winner of Yezdi Gold Cup (Div II)

Trainer B K Arshad who had success at last on Refresher (Rakesh up), leads in the winner.

Hidayat Khan who saddled one of those wins leads in High Zoom (Harish up) who recorded a hard-fought win in the Somanathpur Plate

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