Snow Dew proved invincible in the Gr 2 Bangalore 1000 Guineas, the first classic of the season, with an emphatic win on Saturday. The disappointment of the race was the poor performance of Affability who was expected to run the favourite close. The daughter of Serious Spender was a beaten horse even before the runners took the final bend and jockey Pesi Shroff was at a loss to explain the poor run of the Dhariwal ward. ``I gave a fair chance to my filly but I am pretty disappointed. I would not have been so frustrated if the filly had finished second best but her poor fourth defies explanation. Indeed, I haven’t much to look forward to in the classics,’’ said a dejected Pesi.

Summer Derby heroine Snow Dew looked head and shoulders above the rest and the daughter of Razeen asserted her supremacy quite competently. But the win was not as authoritative as it should have been. After cruising past the front-running Nairn inside the final 250 metres, Snow Dew tended to idle in front and the winning margin was just in excess of two lengths. Nairn, another Razeen progeny, was finishing on and with Snow Dew out of her way in the Bangalore Oaks as the latter is to be campaigned in the Indian Classics at Mumbai, her moment of glory should come in her next essay.

Flying Tribute tore away into a long lead but no body chased the pacemaker and as result, the front-runner appeared to be running a race for herself. Nairn raced second ahead of Snow Dew, Affability, Star of the Crop, Battle Star and Rio. Niarn hit the front on straightening for the homestretch, with Snow Dew close on her heels. Affability sent distress signals and was rapidly dropping back. Battle Star, who was slowly off, was gaining ground along the rails but a tiring Affability was in her path and Aslam Kader had to check her and switch her out. In the meanwhile, Snow Dew was well clear but the filly tended to slow down after hitting the front and Nairn was bridging the gap. Battle Star was third, a further five lengths behind the runner-up. In the form that Snow Dew is in, she should have a decisive say over Queenscliff in the Indian 1000 Guineas next month.

Ganapathy, who saddled Snow Dew, continued his domination of juvenile races when Star Chivalry beat a backward set of runners pointless in the 1200 metres Haveri Plate, a race for two-year olds. Jockey Prakash had an armchair ride on the winner who kept on increasing the lead from the word `go’. With the favourite proving too good, jockey Srinath appeared to have taken things easy and his late-finishing second effort resulted in the Stipes fining him Rs 5,000 for not sufficiently persevering with his mount. Limitations was a useful third while Braid Hills ran a very poor race.

Trainer Puttanna brought off a quiet coup through the well-backed Telegram who put it across favourite Zoracia. Telegram who had been a disappointment, was nursed into peak fitness and despite being assigned to Nagesh, the son of Ajaad proved too good, getting the measure of front-running Zoracia with a measure of comfort. River Bed pipped Suhasini for the third spot.

Michael Eshwer’s Taipan edged out Iflookscouldkill and Star Pegasus in an exciting finish to win the 1400 metres Kudremukh Cup. Ma Baker was an impressive fourth. Arzillo led the field into the straight but the Sir Bruce progeny shortened his strides inside the final 250 metres when the race was on the boil. Star Pegasus showed up first but Taipan on the wide outside flashed home to get the better of the front-runner close home. In the meanwhile, Iflookscouldkill who was held up along the rails, finished with a rattle but his finishing effort fetched him only the runner-up spot. Mumbai champion Rajendra who was astride Taipan, rode one of his rare wins in Bangalore.

What should one call Silva Storai’s efforts on Red Sand? Exploratory for a future touch? Insufficient effort? Or is it just that the horse was picking up momentum after a run benefit but not ready enough for the jockey to think of going all out? Whatever explanation the professional can come up with, the fact remains that a fine of Rs 5,000 imposed by the Stipes must be considered light. Red Sand finished with such a flourish that had Silva been more enterprising and alerted the daughter of Gold Discovery earlier, things would have taken a different shape in the 1400 metres Viduraswatha Plate. Baroness Orczay had to be driven out by English jockey Francis Norton to contain the challenge of Astrid. A similar effort by Silva on Red Sand would have changed the complexion of the race totally.

Agnivarsh was backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the 1600 metres Kalakshetra Plate but jockey Prithviraj ran into one problem or the other in his keenness to take a forward position. The more he tried, the problems only surmounted. So much so that the son of Twist And Turn was in a hopeless position and was a finished horse at the final bend. Sinatra who was at the helm, had no trouble in winning with a great deal of comfort from Caape City and Nice And Noble. Agnivarsh was a faraway fourth.