The Chtarapathi Cup, the highlight of Friday’s races, looked like a minefield, as it was difficult to pinpoint any one of the runners as having an edge over the rest. And the race-goers were left to quickly rue their decision of selecting one among those which were supported in the betting ring as the fancied runners quickly faded out of contention. Alassio had stolen a march at the top of the straight and looked like landing the spoils but then did not have the class to sustain the effort as Way To the Stars finished with a rattle on the outside to win as he pleased. In form horse Tresorie who was running, perhaps for the last time at Bangalore, kicked on to take the third spot while it was hard to trace the whereabouts of Way To The Stars’ stablemate Sher Khan who was the favourite. He was simply not sighted.

Millennium Flame led in the early part of the race, with Flash First, one of the fancied runners running prominently for some part of the journey. However, it was not any one of the well-supported runners who took charge on turning for home but Alassio who only flattered to deceive. Way To the Stars has always been known to be a strong finisher and his nowhere to first in a trice was no surprise for he had won earlier too in like manner.

The penultimate day’s races attracted quite a few runners and for the first time during the season, 10 races were framed for the concluding week’s programme. Barring a couple of minor aberrations, the domination of favourites continued. Michael Eshwer trained Star Eagle was backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the Kokarebellur Plate (Div I), a race for maiden three-year olds. The son of Don’t Forget Me Star Eagle managed to justify the favouritism but could have been in serious trouble had Gallagher been his aggressive self on It’s A Steal who came threateningly close. The winning post came to the rescue of the front-runner. In the lower division of the race, Matchless Princess proved too good, with the well-supported Talented Day plodding on home to be a tame second.

Imtiaz Sait trained Southern Treasure had gone down narrowly to Enterprisor in his last outing and was lucky to find himself in the upper division of the Amaravathi Cup. Had the race not been divided and if both were to clash again, it is quite possible that Enterprisor would have won this time out handsomely. Such was the improvement displayed by the Ganapathy ward while Southern Treasure just about reproduced his last run and he certainly did not justify the short price laid on him. Southern Treasure just got up in time to edge out the front-running Rio in the shadow of the post. Dancing Phantom was a close third. In the lower division, Enteprisor hacked the opposition.

Imtiaz Sait had a double for the day when Ryan Marshall rode his other ward Potential Force to victory. There was no doubting the superiority of Potential Force and the only question mark was whether he would not drift out of the grass track like he had done at Mumbai and Pune. However, Ryan Marshall had him in control and Potential Force went straight as an arrow to record a comfortable win.

Both the divisions of the R J Rebello Memorial Plate produced absorbing finishes. In the upper division, Dee Emm barely lasted out to win from Chanel while in the lower division, Soldier of Fortune won by the skin of his teeth from River Bed and Mussleburgh.

Samar Singh trained Big Brother shocked the opposition in the 2000 metres Sringeri Plate. Daiimio led the field from the start and shaped like a winner as he had a break of over three lengths over the opposition inside the final furlong. But the well built Big Brother came up with a rattle from the rear to floor the front-runner to win with a great deal of comfort. Sardar Singh trained Pretty Move complete a hat trick of wins having the measure of Firecrest with a late dash.