An eventful Bangalore Summer Season ended on an exciting note on Friday, when the fight for the Trainers Championship went right down to the wire. Coming into the last race of the season, three talented trainers were locked together at 17 points each. Arjun Mangalorkar and Irfan Ghatala had runners in this race, while Neil Darashah was watching from the sidelines. The two of them needed a win, since Neil was way ahead of them in terms of second placed horses. There was much joy in the Neil Darashah camp when Dhraiwal's Adonis hit the front and ran away from Black Beauty and Smooth Glider. A new "star" had emerged from the youthful pack of trainers at this centre. Considering the quality of his opposition, this was indeed a praiseworthy performance as it had been achieved in a very competitive environment. Keeping in mind the showings from Darius Byramji, Suleiman Attaolahi and Amit Caddy during the same period, it is easy to realize that the "New Generation" professionals have come of age. With each one of them having an equally nice string of horses under their care, racegoers can look forward to some stirring action in the coming months.

Amongst the jockeys, it was PS Chouhan all the way. He led from the beginning of the season, and despite drawing a blank over the final weekend, had an easy passage to victory. His final tally stood at 24 winners. The young man is definitely passing through the best phase of his career. The total number of winners he rode last year was more than any other jockey in India. Considering the fact that it was achieved without riding at Chennai and Ooty, this has been quite an achievement. There is little doubt that his cause was aided by Suraj Narredu's decision to relocate to the USA during the summer months. Suraj got back at the beginning of July, and after a flurry of winners in the last four weeks, managed to post an impressive score of 17. Kunigal Stud Farm continued its dominance amongst the breeding establishments by picking up its umpteenth title at Bangalore. Horses bred at Kunigal picked up about 15 percent of the races conducted during the Summer Season.

Friday's race card included the running of The Governor's Cup (Grade III). It was a terms event for horses aged four years old and over. The mile-and-a-half trip scared away many, and only six accepted to face the starter. Padmanabhan's Becket was one amongst them. After beating Jacqueline in The Invitation Cup last year at Mahalakshmi, this horse had been showing signs of weariness. His form had been dipping with the passage of time, and this was amply demonstrated in his two starts this season. However, the punters chose to ignore these signs and backed him courageously to win the day's feature. Spark Of Gold's second behind Xisca had been a fair effort, and this Pradeep-trainee was second-in-demand in the betting rings. One could write one’s own card on the other four. The race was run at a modest pace with Balmoral Castle and Spearhead showing a clean pair of heels to their rivals. Arabian Prince, Spark Of Gold, Far From Over and Becket raced in single file as the runners made their journey towards the home turn. Ladjadj Stephane was a mere spectator astride Spearhead, who overtook Balmoral Castle with ease and coasted for home. He waved his whip a couple of times and the chestnut got stronger and stronger. The Attaolahi charge cantered away to an effortless victory over Arabian Prince. Spark Of Gold plodded along to end a faraway third. Becket was totally exhausted while finishing a poor fourth. This was perhaps the worst-ever performance from Becket. The connections could consider retiring him from the sport.

On a day when most of the victories were achieved with a measure of comfort, it was Suraj's performances which caught the eye. He steered a popular treble with absolute ease. Irfan Ghatala's pair of Lady Gaga and Sunstone gave him armchair rides to victory. Lady Gaga (Midtown – Desert Flame) hung out a bit in the straight, but once the jockey managed to get her on an even keel, the race was over. The half-money favourite strode away from Pedigree Nick and Simply Best. Sunstone (Razeen – Allosaki) was attempting to defy his winning penalty. His paddock looks inspired confidence, as he was looking much better and calmer than ever before. Sunstone leapt from the starting gates and raced well within himself while winning from start to finish. Ice Mint rallied from the back to deprive Con Artiste of the second berth. Sunstone and Lady Gaga are in fine form and both of them are capable of repeating in their next starts.

Suraj completed his treble with some powerful riding astride One For The Money (Juniper – Eastern Sky). This Lokanath-trainee had won his earlier start after being a bit lethargic at the gates. However, there were no such problems today. In fact, Suraj had to restrain him from charging to the front, and held him in check till the top of the straight. Allowing a runaway Moves Goodenough to lead on sufferance, he made his move on the wide outside. One For The Money charged to the front and won from a late finishing Mark Of Genius. The winner looks good to win on promotion.

Trainer Dominic and Srinath paired effectively to score a well-supported double. In the hands of a relatively ordinary rider, Super Surprise (Duja – Love’s A Mirage) had displayed some fine form in his previous start. Having tuned him to perfection, Dominic entrusted him to Srinath today. He was fancied alongside Emerald in this race. The horse chased Shahizaar and Emerald till the two-furlong marker, before he was asked to quicken. Super Surprise lengthened his strides and posted an impressive victory. Voice Of India rallied from the rear of the field to run ahead of Emerald and the others. The performance of War Artist (Gaswar – Fiercely Loyal) was almost similar. He too came with giant strides in the final furlong to finish ahead of Inspirator, Star Of Stars and a tired Not Not Seven. The last named is capable of picking up a race for horses in the lowest category.

In the hands of Vinod Shinde, three-year-old Veyron (Epicentre – Bluegrass Gal) was the other winner from the Dhariwal stable. Running in the lower division of a maiden's event, this colt came into his own to sail past a bunch of helpless rivals. Veyron had run only twice this season. On both occasions, it was against some formidable opponents. He was amongst the beaten brigade in Pronto Pronto's Colts Championship, and subsequently, in the Mile Million won by In The Spotlight. For those in the "know", this was a golden opportunity. The bookmakers were surprised to see him winning by a distance. They rued their decision to offer 3/1 against this runner.

A pair of objections was lodged by the riders of Sudden Magic and Hatchet Harry against Decorated (Royal Gladiator – Classic Ten) in the upper division of a seven-furlong event for horses in Class V. Milan had brought Decorated with a powerful run on the wide outside and gone away from Sudden Magic and Hatchet Harry. Given the nature of the ground and the filly's tendency to move inwards, jockey Milan had a tough job controlling Decorated. He tried his best to stay away from them, and moved inwards only after going past Sudden Magic. There was no doubt that Decorated would have scored more easily had she run straight. Jockey Vivek's objection was totally frivolous. His claim that the minor infringement at the top of the bend had cost him five lengths was incredible. Srinath's objection had more substance. Decorated had come across Sudden Magic and caused him a check. However, it was pretty evident that this had not cost him a "certain race”, as Sudden Magic was a beaten horse at that stage. In a split verdict, the Stewards decided to overrule both the objections.