A small card of six events was gone through in quick time, with fancied runners winning most of the races on Friday at Bangalore. With many trainers having gone to Pune for the annual auction sales during the past few days, the entries were on the lower side and many races were held with the minimum number of eight acceptors facing the starter. The two gentlemen leading the championship tallies for the Winter Season, namely Padmanabhan and Suraj Narredu, added another point to their respective scorecards and increased their leads over their fellow professionals. Exceptional performances from The Spartan, Competent Soldier and Cruising were the highlights of the afternoon. The Talkad Cup, a sprint race for horses in Class IV occupied the pride of place as the feature event of the day. None of the runners had won a race during this season, and many of them had no chance whatsoever of lifting this trophy. Miss Honeydew, on the basis of a forward run in her last start, was installed as the favourite. Glory Bound and Competent Soldier were the other one's who merited consideration, and were fancied by their connections. Karan Singh's Competent Soldier looked outstanding in the paddock. He was looking well muscled and sported an excellent coat. He had run a forward race last month and had been subjected to some solid preparation thereafter. A huge surge of money on this horse enthused many racegoers to go nap on him. He lived upto their expectations by posting an emphatic victory. Imran Khan made full use of the pull in weights, and had no hesitation in taking Competent Soldier to the front. He dictated the pace thereafter, and after a couple of taps at the top of the straight, lengthened his strides to win by a widening margin.Nearco Master chased him till the distance post before retiring from the fray and ending a fair third. Miss Honeydew got stronger at the finish to take the second spot. This was the first time that the winner had been seriously exploited, and today’s victory augers well for the future. He is capable of winning again for the asking. Padmanabhan's The Spartan had been heavily penalized for his previous showing. He had been withdrawn on veterinary grounds a couple of weeks ago. This well bred four year old has been raced sparingly by his master. Although not totally sound, The Spartan has a lot of class. This fact was proved once again, when he wasn't unduly extended to hold a late charge from Noble Kingdom. Having chased Spicy Star for most of the way, David Allan was a picture of supreme confidence on the half-money favourite, who was galloping well within himself for most of the way. The Spartan won without a single whip and passed the winning post ahead of a hard pressed Noble Kingdom He is likely to keep winning till he reaches the highest Class. Noble Kingdom was unlucky to have come across The Spartan today, and it should not be long before he enters the winner's enclosure. Trainer Dhariwal was the only professional to score a double on Friday. Public choice So Much More was relentlessly driven by Srinath to score by a widening margin of over four lengths in a seven furlong event. Clouseau was taken on a start to finish mission by Harish, and had a healthy lead at the bend. So Much More was asked for an effort at that stage, and his response was almost immediate. He devoured ground thereafter and skipped away from the early leader. Royal Bank finished-on purposefully from the rear to save place money. What must have given more pleasure to Dhariwal was the performance of three year old filly Cruising (Glory Of Dancer -Fast Trick). Partly owned by the trainer himself, this compact looking filly raced like a seasoned campaigner. Suraj Narredu took a smart jump with her, and held her in check till the final bend. She led from Step In Style, who was hard ridden by Imran Khan to keep pace with her. The brakes were released on Cruising near the distance post and she accelerated brilliantly. Suraj was content to look back for possible threats before relaxing his hold on her. Cruising is definitely destined to go higher in her future assignments. Fancied Virtuoso came with a late bid to finish third. Nicely bred Leave It To Me was another fancied horse in this race. She looked slightly soft in the paddock and lacked early speed. Leave it To Me signalled her liking for a slightly longer trip when she was seen to be getting stronger at the finish while ending in fifth position. Mac was an unlucky loser last week. The apprentice boy riding him on that day was unable to do justice on him. Mac was entrusted to Harish today, and although he was racing in the higher class, he justified the decision of his trainer Irfan Ghatala to run him within seven days. Orientation and Alchesaye were disputing the issue till well into the final furlong, before Mac came with giant strides and passed them on their inside. A couple of cracks with the whalebone were enough for him to draw away from his rivals. Hugely fancied Saptashwa refused to raise a gallop and took a lot of money down with him. He seems to be lacking consistency and should be left alone from a betting perspective. El Gordo ran a close fourth. The only other race in the days card was the first event of the day. Being an open betting event, this race for horses in class B failed to generate much enthusiasm amongst those present at the course. The odds against the favourite Flying Flame were rising rapidly and an upset seemed to be on the cards. No-hopers Freedom Fighter and Nice Guy led the field till the turn before Voodoo Moon appeared on the scene. It became a one horse affair thereafter, as this 10/1 shot breezed past the others and clocked-in about five lengths clear of the field. Nice Guy and Freedom Fighter clung on to the minor berths.