There is no question that the soft track was a major inconvenience to several contenders in the Bangalore St Leger on Sunday. Despite the mitigating circumstances from the point of view of fancied horses that failed, nothing ought to detract from the merit of Arabian Knight’s victory.

Some humour needs to be interjected. One would not be going out of the way if one says that Mallesh Narredu was riding a duck given a duck’s affinity to water. A scrutiny of Arabian Knight’s lines may have yielded a clue about Jaggy Dhariwal pupil’s propensity to handle (very) soft grass. I am reminded of a horse called Naamcha in the 1970-71 period. Naamcha was trained by R M Puttanna and had a special liking for a yielding course. The softer the grass, the stronger Naamcha ran.

Mudlark-handicapping is a subject that has special dimensions. The Racing Form in America separates mudlarks from horses that are less proficient on soft grass. Pedigrees can, sometimes, help but the critical criterion is concrete proof. Dave Feldman, handicapper par excellence for the Chicago Sun-Times, was never tired of telling fans not to bet on horses in the ‘mud.’ Feldman called mud the ‘goo.’ Rain makes the list of uncertain elements get longer.

I called to congratulate Mallesh Narredu. We exchanged pleasantries. “I knew Arabian Knight would stay the trip. He won the Stayers’ Cup at Hyderabad over the Invitation weekend. It was a surprise alright. I felt comfortable all the way. There was little I had to do. Things are going very well.”

There was a Grade I race at Del Mar, California on Sunday. It was the $300,000 Bing Crosby over 1200 metres. Street Boss beat In Summation who was seeking a repeat win in the race. A son of Street Cry, Street Boss, in the hands of David Flores, came from behind to run down In Summation in the waning yards. The time was 1 08.67.

Street Boss goes next in the Ancient Title on September 27 at Santa Anita. Then it is on to the BC Sprint at Santa Anita on October 25.

Jockey Flores heaped praise on the winner. “I had the best horse and I wanted to move at the right time. He has a tremendous closing kick. If he’s not the fastest, I don’t know who is.”

On Monday, Kodiak Kowboy won the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga, New York. It was a race for sophomores and the 1300-metre race was run in 1 15.56. Kodiak Kowboy was a 2-1 chance. Trained by Larry Jones, Kodiak Kowboy was giving jockey Gabriel Saez his first win at Saratoga.

Jockey Saez expressed his delight. “This was my first time on him and he surprised me. It’s nice to win here. Now I can go home happy.”

Saratoga, traditionally the best attended meeting, is showing a decline. Compared to the opening week in 2007, attendance is down by 26%. On track betting is down by 13%. The total handle is off by 14%.

Charles Hayward, President of the New York Racing Association, said, “we came into the 2008 meeting knowing that the economy, gas prices and a particularly early start in July would result in a decline. And the rain has been a factor. We hope the weather cooperates.”

Here is news about Pepper’s Pride. The five year-old mare, now seeking 17 wins in a row, may not race on August 2 at Ruidoso Downs. Pepper’s Pride has never raced on an off track. Trainer Joel Marr talked about his plan. “A six and one half furlong (1300 metres) race at the Downs at Albuquerque on August 17 is an option. The track (Ruidoso) is a river. I’ve never seen it like this before. If we don’t have a place to train, the August 2 race is off.”

It has been confirmed that Aidan O’Brien is sending Mount Nelson for the Arlington Million on Aug 9 in Chicago. Mount Nelson, a Group I winner as a freshman in 2007, won Sandown’s Coral Eclipse this year. Plan will be O’Brien’s runner in the Secretariat Stakes. The post position draw for the Aug 9 races will be held on Aug 6. The Beverly D, honoring the wife of Richard Duchossois, Arlington’s chairman, will also be run on Aug 9.

The Galway festival opened on Monday. Galway is 135 miles from Dublin. It is a right handed track. It is a (rectangular) 2000-metre course. There is a descent approaching the lane and there is a 400-metre long uphill finish.

Galway hosts a hybrid meeting. Jump races and flat races are held in the same card. Trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Pat Smullen scored a double on opening day. Broad Meaning won as the 5-6 favourite. Ghimaar, also a favourite, was a 11-4 chance.

Glorious Goodwood began on Tuesday. The summer meeting at Goodwood carries this exotic appellation. Goodwood can be reached by taking a train from London Victoria. It is a ride that lasts about an hour. You alight at Chicester. There is enough time for a drink at a pub outside the train station. You may take a taxi. A less expensive option is to take a bus that takes you to the course and brings you back to the rail station. I am looking forward to my Goodwood visit this September.

Ryan Moore rode three winners. The short-priced favourite to land the English riding title this year connected with Gulf Express in the opener. Gulf Express, a Michael Stoute trainee, came through at 10-1. Moore won the second with Conduit, the half money choice, to give Stoute his second winner. Conduit, a beaten favourite in the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot, had to go all out to get a head verdict over Donegal in the 2400-metre Betfair Gordon Stakes. Moore’s third winner was the Luca Cumani-trained Sanbuch who was a 13-2 proposition.

Richard Hughes won the Betfair Cup with Paco Boy, trained by Richard Hannon. Infallible, the chalk with Ryan Moore, was unplaced. Paco Boy was a 7-1 chance.

Richard Hills won with Finjaan. Greg Fairley scored with Yamal. Seb Sanders won the finale on Gyr, a 4-1 shot trained by J L Dunlop.;

In harness racing, Meadowlands hosts the 1.5 million dollar Hambletonian trot for three year-olds on Saturday. The program on Saturday, Aug 2 gets under way at 11:30 A M Eastern time. It will be 9.00 P. M in India. Go to ‘thebigm.com’ and you will be able to watch the races live. Ken Warkentin and Sam McKee are two excellent announcers (commentators) and are worth listening to.