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Fleet-footed Shamaal grounds high-flying opposition in the Akkasaheb Maharaj Trophy
By Usman Rangila | 03 Aug 2003 | PUNE
She ‘Passed So Fast’ was the common refrain that echoed in the paddocks as various trainers and owners conferred with their respective jockeys as they unsaddled their mounts after the running of the Akkasaheb Maharaj Trophy on Sunday. The jockeys were referring to the four-year-old filly Shamaal, who is by Razeen out of Passed So Fast.
To the surprise of many, Shamaal, with K.P.G. Appu at the steering, rocketed into the lead as the gates flew open leaving her nine rivals with no other option but chasing her shadow over the six-furlong journey. Going by the past records, one would have expected either Bryce Canyon, Tide of Fortune, Aerospace, Cape Martin or Aspiring Star to hit the front. But, such was the tenacity shown by Shamaal that all these reputed sprinters were literally speechless in front of the winner. Tide of Fortune was struggling to find her footing on the new track and was totally outclassed by Shamaal though she did make some progress later during the journey. The same was the fate deserved by the other runners. This victory of Shamaal will not only come as morale-booster for young Sanjay Kolse but should also help rekindle the waning interest of her sporting owners, the Nagpal family headed by Geoffrey Nagpal. Veteran jockey S. Kapoor, who has been the regular work partner of Shamaal, too deserves a word of praise in keeping Shamaal fit as a fiddle.
The day started off on a confusing note for the punters as bookies showed amazing generosity by upping the odds against Queen’s Message. These sentiments, however, were proven as misplaced by the candidate of Hanut Singh. The filly weathered rough passage before manoeuvring her way to overhaul second-in-demand Steely Dan. The four subsequent races were all won in start-to-finish efforts. Princess Helen went almost wire to wire to give Dallas Todywalla his solitary winner of the day. Similarly, Rhythmofthemeadows outpaced his opponents in the hands of I. Shaikh.
There were some exhilarating moments awaiting to be experienced by rookie apprentice rider Towfeeq Shaikh astride Silver ‘N’ Gold when he showed a clean pair of heels to his rivals. Before speeding away for an effortless victory that gave trainer Rehanullah Khan his first winner of the season, Towfeeq cut across sharply to hamper Bellagio when coming out of his stall. There was overwhelming support for Storm Alert but her hopes were all dashed the moment she got squeezed between Bellagio and Extraordinary at the start.
Trace of Magic fetched some solace for her master Narendra Lagad as she sauntered away for a convincing victory after taking off smartly from the blocks. Favourite Flag Bearer laboured hard to catch the winner but jockey S.N. Chavan was always in firm control. So Shocking ended a fair third with a hint that she would relish a longer trip.
Another controlled performance of the day came from C. Rajendra who brought favourite Positano into contention through the shortest way home and then thwarted the attempts of Arabian Fighter and Texas King to dislodge her. Mister Fixit, either by design or accident, was not inclined to give his best and ended a tame fifth. Ballina thrown all over the place first by Dazzling Gold and then Dillinger which effectively put her out of contention.
The upset win of Touch Wood in the concluding event cast a dark shadow over the fortunes of the punters as they waded their way out of the racecourse with a heavy heart. None of the fancied runners including Tarascon appeared to be in an obliging mood. Tarascon, who carried the public purse and was entrusted to Abhishek Habbu by Shiraz Sunderji, made a late entry on to the scene when it was all over bar the shouting. This act of lethargy shown by the apprentice was viewed by the stipes as an unacceptable antic and for which they grilled Abhishek after the race.
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