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Vigoroso Packs a Surprise Punch

By Mirror Image | 03 Aug 2011 | MYSORE


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The 15-day Mysore Summer Races came to an end on Wednesday with form-seekers landing up at the receiving end. A long card of ten races was drawn for the concluding day and probably the only person who returned home smiling was the handicapper, not to mention the bookmakers. Close finishes was the order of the day, with majority of the races ending up in close finishes and the favourites at the receiving end in most of them. Only three firm favourites could make it to the winner’s enclosure, two of them coming from the stables of trainer Zareer Darashah and the other from Pratap Kamath.

After an overnight rain the going was expected to be on the softer side but with the rain Gods deciding to take the day off and with strong winds blowing across, the penetrometer gave a reading of 3.6 cms and it was a good day for racing. On personal glories, Zareer Darashah and Ladjadj Stephane led in a popular double to surge ahead in their respective categories and claim the season’s honours. Darashah ended his final tally with 15 winners, while Ladjadj closed his account at 14. P.C. Tejaswi and apprentice N. Rajesh pulled off a dramatic back-to-back double with eight-year-olds, for whom this was the closing chapter of their career. Pratap Kamath won the opening and the concluding race of the day but still looked unhappy as two of his more accomplished campaigners from the stable had to bite the dust. Jockey S. John too pulled two successive winners but received more brickbats than bouquets from across the fence.

Vigoroso (Young Senor-Alero) turned out to be a surprise package, in the higher division of the Star Supreme Cup, the main race of the day, beating the favourite Rashida on the wire. The five-year-old mare had moved in from Hyderabad only recently and this was her first run on this track, having been withdrawn in her earlier attempt. Racing towards the rear till the 800 metres board, Vigoroso, who moved around the packed field throughout, unleashed a terrific run on the straight to deny Rashida the honours at the winning post.

The lower division was won by Tejaswi’s Queen Of Destiny (Balla Jidaal-Quuen Of The World) after a fight with Refuse To Bend inside the final furlong. For the eight-year-old, this was the last race of her career and she has exited in style, picking up two races on the trot. Mega Joy was withdrawn on veterinary grounds before the race. The other winner for Tejaswi was through another old-timer Dark Horse (Duja-Badedra), in the lower division of The Diabolical Plate. In the race, Rock All and Bahman headed the field on entering the straight but were outclassed by Dark Horse in the last 200 metres and the favourite Always On Top flashed on with a late burst only to fall short by three parts of a length at the finish.

Zareer Darashah and Ladjad Stephane combined to win on two short-priced runners. Honey Buzzard (Rebuttal-Dance Royale) won the higher division of The Ganjam Plate but not before having to sweat it out with Yanamaria. The latter led all the way and Ladjadj had managed to get the filly a shade in front only in the last couple of strides. Yanamaria was reported to have gone lame on her left fore during the race and barring that, the result could have tilted the other way. Bright Star (Rebuttal-Fiorenzza) won the higher division of The Diabolical Plate with a measure of comfort. Pouncing on the front-running Maratha Conqueror 150 metres from home, Bright Star stretched clear to win from late-finishing Rising Queen. Maratha Conqueror finished third ahead of Visual Element.

The two agonizing moments for Pratap Kamath was the loss of Daring Dynamite and Bold Police in their respective races. The first named, racing in The Abide Plate, tracked the early leader till the last 600 metres and shot ahead before entering the straight and extended the lead to almost six lengths. Rakesh-trained Mom In Law (Case Law-Miss Biarritz) was being ridden by his brother S. Rajesh. He stuck to the task and kept riding out and with Daring Dynamite losing out on steam, bridged the gap and slipped on the inside to get the better by a ‘neck’ at the finish. Alizadeh was withdrawn before the race. Bold Police took the beating from C.D. Monnappa’s Rising Rainbow (International-Rainbow Vision) in The Tapathi Plate, a mile race for horses rated 80 and above. Bold Police was on the right track, swooping on the front-runners in the last 300 metres, to take charge but the persistence of jockey S. John on Rising Rainbow paid dividends, the four-year-old filly managing to get the better by a very thin margin. Bold Police is a very highly rated youngster at this centre and the defeat does not overrule his credentials. It was just a bad day at office and he is bound to bounce back.

S. John rode Bipin Salvi’s Sun Zone (Brave Hunter-Phrwaxshi) to victory in the very next race, the lower division of The Ganjam Plate. Racing in third till the final bend, the eight-year-old grey shot ahead and landed the spoils a clear length ahead of the late-finishing Speedy Amigo. The favourite Azita never looked comfortable and ended up a tame third.

Kamath’s Seriously Perfect (Serious Spender-So Perfect) won the opening race of the day, the Oxford Blue Plate in a three-way finish with Brave Arjun and Ziggy Stardust. The long-time leader Rain Man burst his blood vessels and finished fifth behind Spanish Crown. Kamath wound up the season with Boston Ranger (Don Michelleto-Taurina), who beat Noname on the track and again in the steward’s room. Noname lodged an objection against the winner for hampering his run on the final straight and the Stewards finding no substance in the complaint stuck to the original result.