After occupying a number of runner-up berths in the last few months, Neil Darashah's Hatsuhana (Burden Of Proof – Sabre Dance) succeeded in entering the winner's enclosure by winning The Karnataka Sub-Area Cup at Bangalore on Saturday. The five-year-old mare reproduced her form to win in a close finish from Tomsk and Atlantus. The seven-furlong handicap for horses in Class I had attracted a fairly representative field of a dozen acceptors. Having run against each other regularly, most of them were tightly handicapped. Quite a few amongst them had a realistic chance of winning, and this sentiment was evident on the betting board. On the basis of her second behind Immense a couple of weeks ago, Hatsuhana was an obvious favourite. However, with money flowing in the direction of Astounding Gallop, Atlantus, Braavo and Topkapi, the day's feature looked fairly "open". For the records, Hatsuhana started as the 4/1 choice in this race.

The speedy Red Renegade charged to the front and set a decent pace in front of Braavo, Topkapi, Hatsuhana and Soberano. Astounding Gallop and Aprillia led the others as the runners made their way towards the home straight. The field began to bunch up at that stage and most of the jockeys were seen looking for space to make their final assaults. Jockey Stephane's early positioning of his mount paid rich dividends. Getting an unhampered passage, Hatsuhana charged to the front and opened up a nice-looking lead into the final furlong. Those around her got tired and dropped out of contention. It was left to Atlantus and Tomsk to go in chase. Atlantus moved menacingly to come with his customary charge on the wide outside, but that wasn't good enough to catch the leader. The one that really moved well at the end was Tomsk. This gutsy galloper was ninth at the bend. Finding a wall of horses in front of him, Christopher Alford had no option but to move sideways. It took him a while to manoeuvre his way through the pack and that cost him the race. Tomsk came charging on the outer strip of the track, but was unable to catch a tired Hatsuhana. Atlantus and Astouding Gallop had to settle for the minor placings.

Neil and Stephane lost an opportunity to pick up the other trophy on offer during the afternoon. Top Secret was a hot favourite to lift The High Commission Trophy. The three-year-old had the best credentials in a group of maidens. He had been beaten close home by Forever Glory, and the fact that the winning filly had scored in a higher class earlier in the day, was enough to install him as a half-money favourite in today's race. There was a mild confusion in the paddock as the horses were being paraded in the ring. Top Secret was seen sporting a visor instead of the blinkers declared on him. Neil Darashah was instructed to change the equipment immediately. It took a while before the horse was led towards the starting gates. The race witnessed a total eclipse of this market fancy. Top Secret raced in patches and finished a poor third. Darius Byramji's Abronia (Captain Rio – Glorieuse) tracked Magnetic Power till the top of the straight before assuming command of the situation. In the hands of Ashish, the small-made filly skipped away from the pack and managed to hold a late-rushing Lady Gaga near the final post.

Ganapathy's Derby hopeful Forever Glory (Alnasr Alwasheek - Forever Elegance) confirmed her staying abilities by winning her first start in open company. Running in a nine-furlong race for horses in Class III, the public choice performed like a seasoned campaigner and scored a commendable victory. The filly had run a fair sixth in the 1000 Gunieas. Mark Gallagher allowed her to settle nicely behind Mountain Range, Elite Land, Sunny Express and Karisini as the seven runners took the rising ground and made their way into the straight. He pulled her out subsequently and asked her for an effort. She responded gamely and lengthened her strides to keep a well-backed Sunny Express at bay. Forever Glory clocked a smart timing of a little over One Minute and 50 Seconds for this trip. She looks set to run a good race on the 10th of July.

Thundershowers later in the afternoon saw the last two races being run in slushy conditions. Both these events produced close and exciting results. The first one ended in a nail-biting finish, wherein, Irfan Ghatala's Sunset Grill (Warrshan – Rambling Rose) got up on the last stride to pip favourite Vayomi at the wire. Srinath-ridden Vayomi had led into the straight and the filly seemed to have the race under control. Sun Gold was her nearest rival, and Vayomi was managing to hold his challenge. Sunset Grill was a further length behind in third as the three of them galloped into the last 50 metres of this race. Seizing a lucky opening, PS Chouhan drove Sunset Grill through the two front-runners and scored a sensational victory.

Hyderabad challenger Swiss Don (Don Micheletto – Swiss Maid) had given strong evidence of his well-being by running a suggestive race over a scurry earlier in the season. His subsequent track work suggested that the colt was being prepared for a longer trip. He was pitched amongst a tough set of maidens on Saturday. Satish Narredu's Saratoga Spring was the best-performed runner in this group. He had finished close behind Tiberius and Preordained at level weights during winter. However, an injury sustained earlier this season had kept him away from the action. Mumbai challenger Spook had been doing some brilliant work, and his camp was quite optimistic about his chances. However, the money flowed in a single direction. Swiss Don was backed at every price to start as the public choice in this race. While Field Marshal, Saratoga Spring and Hill Rising raced prominently in front, Swiss Don lacked early speed and graced the rear. His backers were getting worried at this stage as the gap between the two groups was getting wider and wider. There were a couple of things that happened near the bend. Saratoga Spring came under pressure and dropped out of contention. At almost the same juncture, Swiss Don got into his rhythm and started to move forwards. He came charging on the wide outside and got up in time to beat Field Marshal and Hill Rising. On the basis of this performance, Swiss Don can be expected to make a mark over longer trips at his parent centre.

The rest of the day's action was confined to the two divisions of a sprint for horses in the lowest category. Prithviraj's Spring Beauty (Brave Act – Si Senora) showed a clean pair of heels to her eight rivals by running away from them in the day's opener. Christopher tracked no-hoper Smart Edition till the bend before he allowed Spring Beauty to go to the front. In a matter of seconds, the filly opened up a nice-looking lead over the others. In a fight for the minor placings, Southern Pearl rallied from the rear to finish ahead of Spark Of Diablo and Absence. The support for Harini and Silver Sceptre was apparently misplaced.

Warren Singh kept his board ticking by saddling Jewel Lady (Diffident – Cadenza) to a comfortable victory in the upper division of this event. Having given her a couple of runs and gotten her fit for today's race, Warren chose to use the services of an apprentice. The five-year-old loved the weight off her back and sailed into an early advantage. Pradeep rode her hands and heels thereafter, and Jewel Lady maintained her advantage till the very end. A heavily whipped Fruit King ended clear of Man United, Neel Gagan and Snow Peaks. The last-named looked the best of the beaten brigade, and the grey can be expected to pick up a race in the near future.