K.S.V.Prasad Raju trained Melody Queen (Hymn-Juke Box) won the Nawab Khaja Moinuddin Khan Memorial Cup, a seven furlongs trip for horses 3 year old and upwards, which featured an uninspiring card of seven races on Monday. With P.S.Chouhan assigned to guide the fortunes, the filly was sent in at a short price against her four rivals. Stable companion Celtic Rose set out in front and established a long lead till entering the straight, which finally fizzled out and Melody Queen took over near the furlong marker. Kuchipudi started to apply pressure towards the closing stages and Chouhan was made to work hard to keep his mount stay ahead by a length at the finish.

Jockey Nilesh Rawal, who has been having a fine run this season, drove Ananth Vatsalya’s Nano Storm (Epicentre-Desert Storm) to victory in the A.Krishnaswami Memorial Cup. Royal Shaan had a sizable lead as the field entered the home stretch with Nano Pride being the nearest challenger. Nano Storm started to bridge the gap and with a final burst of speed sped past Royal Shaan to win the race. Nano Pride finished third while the favourite Sporting Star failed to respond despite the rider B.Sreekanth’s best efforts and could only finish fourth.

Marquise (Sharp Attack-Albuquerque), a good type of youngster from trainer Faiyaz Sheikh’s yard scored an encore in the Blue Max Cup. Arudra led from the start with Marquise in chase. Entering the straight for the final run, Marquise surged ahead with Gold Medal also moving with a strong challenge. With about 200 metres left from home, Marquise started to veer out of the straight course and despite the rider Chouhan trying his best to keep his mount on even keel, hampered the running of Gold Medal. Suraj Narredu on the favourite Rustic Gal saw the two in front involved in a bumping match and shifted course towards the rails. Rustic Gal finished second ahead of Gold Medal. While many knowledgeable race-goers expected the rider of Gold Medal to raise an objection, the ‘all clear’ was announced to the disbelief of most of them.

L.D’Silva’s Garibaldi (Ontario-Giovane Signora) showed plenty of speed to go to the front at start and held forte till the wire to win the Starsky Plate. Bribe Madi was very sluggish at the start and missed about two lengths. Improving steadily, Bribe Madi weaved through the field on the straight and put up a strong challenge inside the last 150 metres but failed to collar the winner and ended up second.

R.H.Sequeira’s Ektto Ektto Ektto (Midtown-Unknown Fact) accelerated brilliantly in the last two furlongs to win the Scenic Royale Plate. The 4 year old filly had remained a maiden even after a dozen runs but her eye-catching second to Kohinoor Fighter in her earlier run this season landed her being backed to the exclusion of the other runners. In about sixth position as they rounded the final turn, the filly chose the clear path on the extreme outside and galloped like a champion to settle the issue well before the winning post. Chayanandan and Cannon Ace finished second and third respectively.

G.Sai Vamshi rode out M.Sathyanarayana’s Crimson Look (Black Cash-Jalapeno) to beat the stable companion Rebut in the higher division of the Diablo Plate, a six furlongs dash for maiden 3 year olds. Rebut was on a start to finish bid and looked comfortable in front on entering the straight but started to run green in the last 300 metres. Crimson Look improved from the rear with Sai Vamshi guiding his mount towards the inner rails and with a splendid spurt shot ahead to score a facile win. Comacho Speed and Pacific Star filled the frame while the favourite Superb failed to impress. Ground Crew was withdrawn before the race.

Faiyaz Sheikh’s Fighting Fit (Hurricane State-Celestial Star) went to lead the field from the start and won drawing away in the lower division. Pakat Pakat Pakat was the best of the beaten lot. Silver Island was withdrawn before the race.