Racing on Saturday at Bangalore ran kindly for punters, when all eight events in the day's card were won by well backed runners. For a change, the bookmakers were at the recieving end during the afternoon. The most prominent winner of the day was definitely Satish Narredu's Sprint Star. The highly rated horse ran as he liked to romp away for an easy victory in The Bangalore Turf Club Trophy. This terms sprint, for three years old and over, had attracted some of the best horses in training at Bangalore. On the basis of their ratings, Sprint Star and Successor towered over the other six runners. The pair  had clashed regularly in the last few months ,and on all known evidence, there was very little to separate the two of them. Successor was known to possess a lot of speed, while Sprint Star, who had a lot of class was better suited over a marginally longer trip. They were being opposed by an improving three year old named Secret Punch. The Sirajuddin trainee had won four races in lower classes before reaching this category. The only thing against him was the fact that he was being pitched into the deep end very early in his career. Whether or not he would be good enough to handle this sort of pressure would be known only after the race. Sprint Star was a marginal favourite ahead of Successor and Secret Punch.

Bottom-weighted Secret Punch leapt out of the gates and showed the way to Successor. A couple of lengths adrift was Sprint Star, while the others led by Optimus Prime raced at regular intervals as the runners skirted the wide false rails near the three furlong marker. At this stage, Chouhan took Successor to the front and tried to kick away from the rest. However, it was Sprint Star who was moving the best of the lot. Without even being nudged, he was seen cruising alongside a hard ridden Successor. It was only after he had taken over the running that Suraj decided to give him a push. Sprint Star increased the tempo and stode away from the others. Optimus Prime made a late dash to beat Successor into third place. It was rare to see a top class sprint being won in such a manner. Suraj had not used his stick during the running of this race. The winner is in such great form that it is difficult to see him getting beaten by his colleagues in Class I.

The father-son duo were quick to complete a double, as they won the very next race with Super Spectacle. The heavily bandaged five year old was a joint favourite alongside Steel King and War Artist. A couple of factors led to this victory. While War Artist lost all his chances at the starting gates because of a tardy beginning, Steel King ran pathetically throughout the race to finish in the ruck. Super Spectacle chased Trillion Win and Voodoo Moon till the bend before Suraj took him to the front. With the assistance of a whalebone, he was guided strongly accross the finishing line. In the hands of a raw apprentice, Voodoo Moon showed a lot of resolve to take the runner-up berth ahead of a tired Trillion Win. The rest of them were totally dis-interested in the day's proceedings.

The day began with a sprint for first season babies. Many of them had impressive bloodlines, and one could separate them only on the basis of their track work as also their paddock looks. For those looking for a clue in the betting rings, there was smart money riding on Dominic's Stellar Ambition. The price against him had halved from 4/1 to 2/1. Even though many racegoers like to stay away from such events, this was a clear indication. In the hands of PS Chouhan, Stellar Ambition ran a neat race to land the prize. He settled nicely behind Attractive Bay, Sweet Secret and Jersey Girl for the first half of their journey. Chouhan pulled him out in the straight and asked him to "go". He responded like a seasoned campaigner thereafter. Stellar Ambition lengthened his strides and went away from Jersey Girl and a late finishing I Say. The last named ran a bit green today, and is sure to benefit from this experience.

Dominic's Ultimate Fantasy ran his opponents off their feet in the upper division of a Class IV scurry, and gave his trainer a well deserved double. Running in the upper Class over a seven furlong trip earlier this season, Ultimate Fantasy had gotten tired after leading into the straight. A drop in class coupled with an additional four kilos claimed by apprentice Noornabi aided his cause today. In the absence of any serious opposition, the three year old was backed to the exclusion of his rivals. He lived upto the expectations of his connections by putting up a spirited performance. Ultimate Fantasy took off brilliantly and kept going till the very end. He won by more than ten lengths from Young Achiever, Tern Me On and Youre Chilubuli.

The lower division of the same race was annexed by the heavily backed Youre Rocking.He was another one who was slammed at all prices to start as an on-money choice of the punters. Youre Rocking tracked Saphira till the bend before making his move. With Vivek showing him the stick, he overtook the leader and moved towards the winning post. It was at this stage that Nityanand's Samajdaar began his move towards the outer portion of the track. He raced dangerously towards the leader and all but toppled him in the final stages of this race. Youre Rocking was seen shortening his strides while Samajdaar moved very well at the finish. The Stewards of the Club held apprentice N Rajesh guilty of riding an ill-judged race , and the boy picked up a suspension at the end of the day. Recently gelded Mountain Train plodded along to finish a poor third.

A brilliant piece of riding by Samuel Fargeat enabled Neil Darashah's Top Secret to land The Kumararajah MAM Muthaiah Trophy. By finishing a good third behind Ridegeway and Sudden Magic, Top Secret had served notice of an early success. However, he had to contend once again with Sudden Magic and the highly regarded Klipspringer. The last named had won over a similar trip at Mysore and shown that she belongs to  a higher class. With Top Secret and Klipspringer recieving strong support from their respective camps, Sudden Magic was allowed to start as the third favourite at 6/1. Klipspringer led Sudden Magic and Top Secret till the two furlong marker before calling it a day. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and surrendered the lead to Sudden Magic. With Chouhan pushing him relentlessly, Sudden Magic charged towards the winning post. He suddenly found Top Secret on his outside. Samuel Fargeat had brought this horse with a flourish and was a serious challenger as they moved towards the wire. The bobbing of heads went in favour of Top Secret, who had gotten up on the last stride to claim this trophy. A public announcement confirmed that the third placed Klipspringer had burst her blood vessels during the running of this race.

The day ended with a superb win for Arjun Mangalorkar's Florida. She had been a brilliant performer last winter before losing her way, and the speedy filly was second favourite behind Irfan Ghatala's Lad Fury. Those who  had expected Lad Fury to improve on an earlier fourth were in for a surprise. Despite Suraj's best efforts, she ran out of steam in the straight to finish in the ruck. On the other hand, Florida ran keenly for Anthony Crastus. He gave a nice balanced ride to the filly. She led from pillar to post and won much easier than the official verdict. Still Will and Foswell filled the rest of the frame. The winner is in fine form and looks capable of defying the handicapper. As regards Lad Fury, it is difficult to visualize her winning a race in the near future.