He came, he saw and and he conquered. That’s Sprint Star, who silenced the voice of those making the cold weather scapegoat for him. Running within a short span of ten days after the arrival from Bangalore, he packed the rest in such manner that his partner Suraj Narredu started waving his hands to the full packed stand before crossing the last 100 yards in the Ram Kumar Saxena group sponsored Vaishnavi North India Derby. The 28th edition of event also went in history as it was the first victory of the combination of father and son.

Earlier a duo of brothers - trainer S Ali Khan and jockey S Nawab succeeded through "Gift" in 1989. Delhtites, in spite of extreme cold conditions, once again gathered at the Delhi Race Course for the jewel in the crown event. When the programme was made no one imagined that the climate would be so unkindly in the morning. The fog had enveloped the entire course, the visibility was hardly beyond 100m. The race callers had difficulty in recognising the horses. Diversion of traffic for the Republic Day parade rehearsals made many stay at home or take a long route to reach at the turf. Those who prefer inter-state betting in place of Delhi eventually also got a chance to witness the last two races including performance of a dancing troupe and jugglers in the paddock. Sprint Star, who was in with the credit of being the Mysore and Bangalore 2000 Guineas star, was rightly entered in the richest mile event in India.

Seeing his trials, hardly there was a place for doubt about his victory. He had got only two horses to chase him from behind till the fluent galloper Captivating brought the nine-horse field in the straight. Biding his chances from five-wide, he started commencing his rally and was able to snatch the issue before passing the final furlong. It is now expected for him to be one of the prime contenders for mile event during the Turf Invitation. "I was sure about his victory," Dr Syed Ainuddin Arif, part owner of Sprint Star, told me. On being questioned for what made him to let the colt in the derby though he had opportunities to show his prowess at other centres, he said that they (along with co- owner M Suresh Kumar Reddy) wanted Delhi races to get recognition at National level. Satish Narredu was thankful to the writer for letting him reminded about one of his victories in the saddle of Prancing in 1998.

"There is a vast difference in riding and training, the latter is the most stressful job and leading-in the Derby winner is the most unforgettable achievement," Satish said. On the other hand, Suraj told me that despite being familiar with the track, he always finds it a bit tricky. The late-entrant Captivating, who arrived with Sprint Star, was taken to the task very late due to setback she received during the travel. However, she ran boldly and was in no mood to surrender as the early birds do. She proved her merit by cornering the runner-up berth and keeping the late galloper Mighty Crusader away by a three-parts-of-a-length. The latter, who has not been able to win a race for the long period, might hope for return to the winning block.

Suchiman, from Hyderabad and travelling prominent second till the top of the homestretch, had her saddle slightly slipped before finishing fourth. It is quite interesting that outstation horses booked the placing boards and none of the local runners was in the scene. Half of the events was at the mercy of the Alim Khan-trained horses. Dazzle, who had a lung opener being second in debut, shed the maiden status in a start-to-finish attempt. However, suspicious handling of Ranjeet Singh on Dancing Beauty made the former's task easy in the day's opener Rosario Builders and Developers Trophy. Bismark, under the guidance of P Kamlesh, had his neck enough for the hard-pressed Dazzling Light in the Pierina Builders and Developers Trophy. Cavalry Brigade ran on to be impressive third. Intricate turned out to be successful to taste a long overdue victory in the Coral Health Care Trophy.

The Dukes, who played the role of second fiddle, should make amends provided for. Taking Over, who led the way till the final furlong of the mile trip and finished third, is knocking at the door. The treble helped Alim to take over Magan Singh for the title championship. Sponsor's (R K Saxena) Daytonas Beauty just survived by a whisker in the West Wind Trophy. Divine Thunder, who responded to the urgings late, would be able to be led-in soon. Keep an eye on Sam Aldo. A heavily backed Mysterio justified the top billing in the Vs RS Builders and Developers Trophy over five furlongs. Asma and Ashwa Shourya's efforts for the second and third berth respectively might entitle them to achieve glory. Tapis has come to hands. An impressive run was of the owner and stable of Mysterio - First N Impression.