The Mumbai season may be drawing closer to the end, but the fizz and sparkle on the day was as fresh as can be. The first ever Clash of the Apprentices – Singapore Vs India had a lot to add in terms of excitement and passion. Then there were a couple of close finishes and the Mr Greedy Trophy Division I was declared null and void due to a false the start. The Indian lads wrested back the initiative after conceding the lead to the Singapore boys in the first of the two match races on the day.

The Mr Greedy Trophy division I was declared  null and void after it was observed that Providence (gate no 9) was stuck in the gate for a while as the both the gates did not open due to a malfunction. By the time the starter realized this, the other horses had sped away as the front barrier holders had moved out with the barrier. Providence just did get a fair start.

The stipendiary stewards immediately called for a stewards’ enquiry. Trainer Zadmal Singh also lodged an official complaint stating that his horse could not jump out due to the malfunction of the starting gates. After due deliberations, the stewards declared the race null and void on technical grounds. But for some stray protests, the decision was accepted in the right spirit as there was no question that Providence was badly affected at the start due to the malfunction of the starting stall gates.

The Division II of the Mr Greedy Trophy was gobbled up by Sandesh ridden Stiletto (Declaration of War – Crystal Slipper). Stiletto and Plato were the two prime fancies in the betting ring and true to the trend the race was confined to these two. At the turn, Precious Opinion was in the lead but soon after, Plato took charge momentarily.

Barely had Plato hit the front, Stiletto bounded forward and zipped past Plato making it a no contest the moment he arrived on the scene. Stiletto produced a sizzling gallop to shut the opposition out in matter of split seconds and sailed away to notch up her maiden victory in an impressive fashion. Plato was completely outpaced and had to settle for the runner-up slot. Ghazal King who looked pretty good in the paddock ran all over the place yet improved positions to earn place money.

Jockey P Trevor scored a lucrative double early in the day, both his horses quoted at over 4/1. He started off with an impressive victory astride Jewels of the Hill (China Visit – Wandering Star). Jewels of the Hill settled back in the fourth position as Belle Brise called the shots early in the 1600 meter race. Oriental Sapphire and Victoire were close behind the leader as they turned for home, with Cypress Point, the tote favourite towards the rear. Belle Brise, Oriental Sapphire and Victoire were closely bunched when Trevor switched Jewels of the Hill to the outside of the trio. Jewels of the Hill, when given the go by Trevor, responded with a fiery gallop and sped away from the field and within a couple of strides was away and out of reach. Cypress Point improved to finish a tame second. Oriental Sapphire held on the take the third place ahead of Star Mountain who finished on to run in the frame.

In the very next race, Trevor partnered Danse Debonaire (Royal Gladiator – Danseuse) to a start to finish victory over the mile and quarter trip. Danse Debonaire’s too was as prolific a victory as Trevor’s previous mount. He led them all the way and once in the straight, he marched on to win without encountering any resistance. Danse Debonaire had Jocelyn following him throughout the race and on straightening up, Jocelyn looked good enough to provide a tough fight. However, Danse Debonaire did not relent and kept galloping at a good pace. Jocelyn tried hard but failed to make any impact on the winner. Equinox came up with a late gallop to pip Jocelyn for the second spot right on the wire.

Myla Rose (Bertolini – Feminine Touch) ridden by Singapore apprentice S Alif flew in the last part to catch up and get past the dangerous looking Step Up. Myla Rose was the top fancy and it was believed that she would win untroubled, which she did eventually, however, in the early half of the straight, Step Up had built a handy lead and seemed to be going well. It seemed so even more as Indian lad Saddam Hussain was yet to alert Step Up and they were approaching the distance post!

The crowd grew tense as Alif showed no hurry in promoting the favourite to the top gear. Alif delayed the main course and once he had Myla Rose unleashed, the Faisal Abbas trainee lunged forward and collared Step Up fifty meters from the wire and then romped home to the delight of her large supporters.

The Indian apprentice Akshay was a lot more resolute in his ride astride Classic Ruler (Ontario – Wind in the Willows). He blew away the opposition as early as at the top of the straight. Having led the field right through, Akshay was well in command on turning for home. He took no chances and took the match very seriously and kept egging on the eight year old Classic Ruler all the way to the winning post. There was no challenge forthcoming and Akshay coasted to victory well clear of the field. Crrisp had no answer to the old timers speed and settled for the second spot. Gibran was the one to improve considerably and did well to end third.

Scaramouche (Placerville – Lecce) showed no sign of rustiness as he made his first appearance on the race track, this late in the season, a thoroughly satisfying one. The Imtiaz Sait ward was fluent in his tremendous final gallop. Tropical Zone almost looked home and dry coming into the final furlong. He had a sizable lead and was going well too. Scaramouche took his time to get into the galloping mode and had to weave his way through horses.  Once he got a clear run, that was in the last 150 meters or so, Scaramouche scorched his way to pull off a delightful victory for his owner Mrs Imtiaz Sait, who was visibly excited to lead in her first winner.

Martinique (Placerville – Moving Image) trained by Rehanullah Khan returned to good form with a scintillating run although in his keenness, he drifted out considerably in the final stages of the race. Martinique shot out of the gates and hit the front with So True and Mountain Mynah tagging along. Celsius was up next a couple of lengths adrift. Roger Bcool was left at the gates and made no impact on the race. Autumn Rush too was not with the pace and lagged too far behind. In the homestretch the battle had begun. Martinique had his neck in front and was challenged seriously from both sides. Celsius had caught up  and was posing questions from the outside, while Mountain Song was constantly improving on the inside rails. Mountain Mynah too was right with them. Martinique shifted out under pressure but didn’t let this affect his tempo. He galloped on hard and fast to eventually hold on by a narrow margin to deny Mountain Song any quarter. Celsius finished a close third. This Ones For You had given them a long head start and had to cover a lot of ground. He did improve towards the latter half of the straight to snatch a place in the frame beating Mountain Mynah for the fourth. 

Jockey P Trevor was the lone professional to score a double.