A brilliant start-to-finish bid from Amit Caddy's Midnight Legacy helped her in lifting The Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association Trophy at the Bangalore races on Friday. She literally gave jockey Suraj Narredu an armchair ride to victory, and helped him complete a double for the afternoon. Even though it was a prestigious event for maiden three year olds, there were only eight runners. A majority of them had run earlier in the season, and most of them had figured on the board. Midnight Legacy and Ganapathy's Smart Star had run in the same race, and on that day, the former had finished more than seven lengths ahead of the latter. However, there were many who expected the got-abroad horse to show better improvement and finish much closer today. On the basis of her fair fourth behind Southern Opinion, Dominic's Point Taken had an army of followers. Similarly, based on her immaculate breeding and nice paddock looks, Darius trained Simply Super had good support in the betting rings. All four camps were equally optimistic and racegoers were looking forward to an intense struggle for supremacy.

The race ended in an anti-climax. Midnight Legacy went to the front, and stayed there. She took a good jump and Suraj pushed her in the initial stages to go ahead of Point Taken, Smart Star and Simply Super. The order remained the same till they crossed the winning post. The only thing that changed subsequently was the verdict between the four of them. Midnight Legacy increased the momentum in the straight and won as she liked. Despite being eased-up, she ended six lengths ahead of the others. This margin could have been much bigger with an all out effort. Point Taken kept her neck in front of Smart Star, while Simply Super was totally out of depth in this company. The winner is one of the better juveniles we have seen at this centre, and has the makings of a good sprinter. Point Taken can win a maidens event later in the season, while Smart Star looks to be better suited over a longer course.

Suraj's other winner came in the lower division of a seven furlong handicap for horses in Class III. Running in a similar race a few weeks ago, Suraj had taken Irfan Ghatala's Lady Gaga to the front. The filly had caved-in under pressure and lost to Cinnamon Rush and I Specialist in a three-way finish. He rode a bit differently today. Lady Gaga tracked Sunday Cruz, Abracadabra and No Doubt till the bend, and made her move after straightening for home. With a little more than two hundred metres still to travel, Lady Gaga was taken to the front. Even though she was unable to open up a sizable lead at this stage, she managed to stay ahead of the others. Violent Storm and Cafe Del Monte moved menacingly in the end, but they were unable to "head" the leader. Only a neck and a short head separated the three of them. Suraj Narredu, PS Chouhan and Anthony Crastus were seen at their best in this race.

The upper division of this race went to Puttanna's Sudden Magic. This runner had been a trifle unlucky in the last couple of months, as he had tried to oppose horses that were superior to him. In today's race, Hackett, Gun Salute and Hillstone were carrying penalties for their earlier victories, while Sudden Magic was running at his usual mark. The odds were loaded heavily in his favour, and he confirmed that with his performance. Allowing Gun Salute to lead on sufferance, Samuel Fargeat and Sudden Magic travelled comfortably in second spot. They were tracked all the time by Hackett. Fargeat changed gears at the bend and pushed his mount to the front. Sudden Magic accelerated comfortably to win as he liked. Under some strong whipping from Rajendra, Hackett got stronger in the final furlong and beat Gun Salute into third place.

This was the second winner for Puttanna, as he had already led-in Javanica in the day's opener. The expanding odds against favourite Supreme Regent caused a bit of a confusion in this race. With none of the others having recent form, there wasn't much action in the betting rings. Shining Fame, Cute Angel and Hatchet Harry shot their bolts near the bend and surrendered the lead to Javanica and Sanfrancisco Girl. The two of them sped away from the rest and took the first two places on the result boards. Ashok Kumar made free use of the whalebone astride the winner.  Supreme Regent made heavy weather of his progress through a tightly packed bunch, met with interference and could do no better than finish a close third.

Suleiman Attaollahi's Sovetskaya took another easy step towards reaching the highest class by treating her class II rivals like a bunch of novices. Anthony Crastus has struck a fine partnership with this talented filly and it is a treat to watch the two of them in motion. The Chatrapathi Cup, a sprint handicap for horses rated 60-85, was the platform on which they performed. Taking a smart jump from an inner draw, Sovetskaya was allowed to find her rhythm. The front running tactics employed by Ice Mint, Equanimity, Thoughts N Actions and Smooth Glider did not bother the Frenchman. Anthony chose to bide his time at the back till they began taking the rising ground near the three furlong marker. He improved steadily on the wide outside and joined the fray. Sovetskaya was popped the question at this stage, and the response that she gave was absolutely brilliant. Without being whipped, she lengthened her strides to score an effortless victory. This enabled her to complete an unbeaten hat-trick this season. It is really difficult to assess her potential as she has defied the handicapper on each occasion. Moreover, every victory has been easier than the one before that. For the record, Smooth Glider, Thoughts N Actions and Equanimity finished in a heap to take the minor placings.

Apprentice Noornabi showed a lot of enterprise while coaxing Red Bolt to put his best foot forward in the concluding event of the afternoon. This Dominic trainee had finished a comfortable fifth to Sovetskaya in the higher category. With Sovetskaya winning another two races and Red Bolt coming down to the lower class, there was bound to be support for this four year old. The only question mark that hung over him was his tendency to burst a blood vessel under pressure. The fact that he won despite doing that today, was quite an achievement. Red Bolt raced in sixth place before taking the turn. Living Legend overtook early leaders Good Gift and Own Empire and established what looked like a winning lead into the straight. Heavily backed The Situation was seen struggling to match strides with the leader. It was at this stage that Red Bolt began to gallop. He came with a flourish to sail past the front-runners and posted an authentic victory. But for this impediment, Red Bolt has the ability to climb up the ladder.

Sharat Kumar's Southern King justified the strong support that he received in the betting rings by producing an astounding gallop in the last two furlongs of an age group race for horses in Class IV. This horse has consistently shown that he is a readymade winner in this class of horses. The trainer waited patiently for him to come to a suitable mark, before preparing him for a gamble. Jockey Rathod was totally unperturbed by the runaway tactics employed by a group headed by Jewel Lady, and chose to wait till they turned for home. All he needed to do thereafter was to show him "daylight". Galloping on the outer strip of the track, Southern King picked up a bunch of tired horses and skipped away from them. He won on a tight leash from Sun Gold and an exhausted Jewel Lady. The winner is in fine form and it may not surprise many if the six year old wins another race before the end of the season.

First-timer Hill Country took down a lot of money in a sprint for horses in the lowest class. There was much hype around this nice looking filly, and she justified that opinion by the way she looked in the paddock. Her breeding, conformation and recent track trials suggested that she belonged to a higher category. Even though she was being ridden by an inexperienced apprentice, there was no stopping the punters from backing her to the exclusion of her rivals. The odds-on favourite played up on the way to the starting gates. Anjar Alam managed to take a level jump from the gates and the filly was seen travelling comfortably for the first half of their journey. The alarm bells rang thereafter. While Raja's Pet and Gorgeous Gold galloped freely in front, Hill Country made heavy weather of her progress. All she could manage was to end a tame third behind the two of them. Harish rode a confident race astride the Warren Singh trained winner. It was subsequently confirmed that Hill Country had gone lame during the running of this race.