Rashid Byramji trained Jumping For Joy powered home to win at the expense of favourite No Excuses, the J H Foley Memorial Gold Cup, a race for horses rated 30 to 45, which was the highlight of the fare on Tuesday. Dare You Say drifted out under pressure close home causing No Excuses also to go along with him and this perhaps cost the favourite the race. Jumping For Joy who moved up from behind along the shortest way, won in the hands of David Badel, a long neck separating the first two placed horses.

Either by design or accident, invariably, the higher priced horse from the Byramji yard comes and wins. This leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Though one cannot accuse them of manipulation, it is better for the sake of greater public confidence if such situations are avoided. It is all right to run two or more horses in classic races but in handicap races such situations can be easily avoided because if consistently a higher priced horse wins, it will cause much acrimony.

No Excuses who had lost her chances by jumping off slowly on the last occasion, got off to a fine start, tracking Dare You Say who came in for big support in the ring as jockey Warren Singh perhaps decided that the wait was good enough and he could let go of his horse. However, Dare You Say who led from the start, weakened in the final furlong even as No Excuses was making his move, shifted out under pressure and caused No Excuses also to change course. In the meanwhile, Jumping For Joy who had gradually moved up from behind, shot through and won by a long neck from the favourite. Dare You Say who had been a non-jobber all along, perhaps needed this run to remind him that racing is not about running freely in front and retiring when the others come alongside which is what the horse had got used all this while.

Byramji had a double for the day as Alcindor came from way behind to get past Courageous Duke and won comfortably the Sagar Plate (Div II). The son of Flitch would certainly relish longer trip than six and he is surely winning on his class despite coming under pressure. Despite being tardy at the gates and gracing the wrong end, Alcindor moved strongly under pressure but once he found foot, he was too good for the field. Till Al Cindor reaches his class, he may have the last laugh in sprint but sooner than later, he will find it tough to extend the winning streak if persisted over the same trip. In the upper division of the race, Splash of Class lived up to her name when trouncing favourite Romantic Count who let down his supporters for the second time running.

There was a flood of money on Royal Valour in the Police Cup but the favourite did not win the way market trend suggested. Jockey Shakti Singh had to make free use of the whip to ensure that Boonlay stayed out of the harm’s path. Despite a slow getaway and her jockey reportedly losing the whip, Boonlay was too close for comfort. Grand Pere who had used the summer season to get some drop in handicap, easily accounted for the opposition though the price drift caused some anxiety. Suraj Narredu who rode Splash of Class and Grand Pere to victory, had a treble for the day when he drove out Grace In Motion to a thrilling win over Authentic Power, a whisker separating the first two runners. In the day’s other action, Chequered Flag who was backed to the exclusion of the rivals, won against a listless opposition while Saladin staved off the challenge of a late finishing Presidium in the day’s opener.