The Fillies Championship Stakes (Grade I) was held at The Bangalore Turf Club on Sunday. The first classic of the Summer Season featured a long and winding card of nine events framed for the afternoon. A large field of fifteen fillies had accepted to face the starter. Only five amongst them were local contenders, while the other ten had arrived from Mumbai, Mysore and Hyderabad to have a tilt at this prestigious trophy. Barring Beauty Is Truth, who was still a maiden after four futile efforts, the others had won a number of races between them. Two out of the fifteen were still unbeaten in their careers. One would have normally expected such a race to have an “open” look, but the presence of Cooji Katrak’s Starry Eyes had changed the equation. On the basis of all available evidence, she appeared to be invincible in this race. The results of her four starts bore testimony to such an opinion. After a very close second over 1200 metres to a vastly experienced Mariinsky on debut, Starry Eyes was a money-back favourite to win her next start. She trounced her maiden rivals over seven furlongs and left a fine impression while clocking a top class timing. She re-confirmed the opinion with another good run in The Poonawalla Multimillion. Her fighting second to Murioi was a great effort. A further step-up in distance saw her demolishing the filed in a Mile Million at Mahalakshmi. She was immediately re-located to Bangalore to participate in the Summer Classics. According to most track reporters, she was a “special” filly with a lot of ability. The timings that she clocked on the training track were some of the fastest seen at this centre. The bookmakers were equally confident about her chances and were reluctant to offer more than 70/100 on her. It was unanimously accepted that “it will take a very special filly to beat Starry Eyes” on Sunday.  However, a mere look at the final result confirmed that, not one, but many of them had finished ahead of her. Pesi Shroff’s Amelia proved to be the best of the lot, as she demonstrated both speed and stamina while kicking clear of her rivals. In the capable hands of Mumbai Champion Zervan, this progeny of Multidimensional showed that she is a versatile campaigner. Not a single professional could pinpoint a reason for Starry Eyes downfall. One will only have to wait and see how she progresses from her present condition. 

The early part of the race progressed on expected lines. A speedy Isn’t She Special went charging to the front and set a comfortable pace ahead of Palm Springs, Duma and Keturah. Starry Eyes and Amelia were quick to occupy box-seats behind the leaders, and were seen traveling well within themselves as the runners took the rising ground near the halfway stage of this race. After a freak incident at the start, where she got chopped off by those around her, Mariinsky was still trailing the pack. Isn’t She Special, Palm Springs and Starry Eyes brought the field into view as the runners turned for home. Those who expected the blue colours of Starry Eyes to surge ahead at this stage were in for a surprise. The filly refused to respond to Suraj’s urgings and was the first one beat in this race. She dropped right through the pack and ended in the ruck. Zervan brought Amelia through the rails and set sail for home. The filly sprinted to the front and opened-up a winning lead into the final furlong. It was evident that she was traveling the best of the lot and was on her way to a fine victory. A late bid from the lowest rated Beauty Is Truth saw her moving into the runner-up berth. Amelia’s stable-mate Mariinsky wove her way through a tightly packed field and covered acres of ground to finish a respectable third. There was a lot of talk about what may have happened had Mariinsky been blessed with an unhampered passage in this race. But then, that is what racing is all about. Amelia wore the winners sash and was led-in by a delighted Pesi Shroff. For Zervan, this was a special occasion. Amelia had presented him with the first classic of his career. 

The rest of the day’s action comprised a number of races being framed for youngsters. Both the divisions of a sprint for maiden three year olds were annexed by rank outsiders from Imtiaz Sait’s yard. Majestic Reward and Keukenhof had been tested in a mock race alongside a highly rated Ambrosia only ten days ago, and were sharpened thereafter to make an impressive start to their racing careers. The trainer chose this event as their first target. Deshmukh trained Laguna Beach was a half-money favourite in the lower division of this race. The filly had already been subjected to a run this season and was looking well in the paddock. Second-in-demand Mannat looked far from fit in the parade ring, and her “gross” looks forced the punters to stay away from her. In the absence of a clear third option, both Majestic Reward and Rio Jojo were available at 15/1 with the bookmakers. A huge groan greeted the start of this race. Laguna Beach missed the kick at the gates and was seen being whipped by PS Chouhan to make up the lost ground. On the other hand, Mannat was finding it equally tough to keep pace with those in front of her. In the midst of all this, Majestic Reward leapt to the front and tore away from his eight rivals. Ashhad Asbar continued to nudge him, and he kept responding to his rider’s call in the straight. The race thereafter was only for the minor placings. Rio Rojo did well to come from behind to beat Laguna Beach and Mannat for the second spot.  

Imtiaz Sait’s Keukenhof held on gamely to her early advantage while picking up the other division of this race. Suraj displayed his brilliance while partnering her to victory. The fancied pair of Capitalize and Arch Duchess had no answers to Keukenhof’s acceleration at the bend. After a wayward jump out of the gates, first-timer Crown Emperor showed early speed and spurted to the front. He was followed by the favourite Capitalize on the rails and Arch Duchess on his outside. Keukenhof raced right behind them and continued to stay in touch with the leaders as they approached the bend. It was at this stage that Suraj made a tactical move. While those in front waited a while to make their final bids, Keukenhof spurted on the wide outside and assumed command of the proceedings. Suraj continued to wave the whip at Keukenhof, and the filly kept responding. A late charge from Capitalize failed to alter the final positions on the result boards. While there were some people who felt that Imran Chisty had mistimed his run on Capitalize, there were others who were of the opinion that the nice looking colt would be more comfortable over a slightly longer trip. However, they were unanimous in their opinion that Capitalize is a useful type with a bright future.  

A brilliant turn-of-foot in the final furlong enabled Irfan Ghatala’s Absolute Red to win the other maiden’s event on “Fillies Afternoon”. The Elusive Pimpernel Trophy, a seven furlong event, had only seven runners. This race looked extremely competitive, as there were a number of horses that were strongly fancied by their respective connections. Adriphos, Noble Path, Absolute Red and Arabian Warrior received almost equal support with the bookmakers. While Arabian Warrior and Sur La Tete went charging to the front, Adriphos, Noble Path and Absolute Red were ridden for eventual speed by their partners. The runners began to get closer as they approached the distance post. Suraj Narredu and Noble Path appeared strongly on the wide outside and swept past the leaders. With Arabian Warrior and Adriphos running out of steam at that stage, it was left to Absolute Red to go in chase. The chestnut rallied gamely towards the inner rails, and got up in the nick of time to beat Noble Path at the finish. Arabian Warrior and Adriphos were locked together in third and fourth as they flashed past the final post. Ahsan Qureshi rode a winner after a fairly long time. 

Last outing winner Cirque Du Soleil succeeded in winning his third consecutive career start by running away from his class II opponents. Lucky to escape with a minor penalty for his win over the opening week-end of this season, he proved to be too powerful for Sunstone and Sudden Magic. Suleiman Attaollahi produced him in fine shape in the paddock, and he confirmed those looks with a splendid performance. The 5/4 favourite cantered easily in second spot behind Magnitude Star before taking over the running in the straight. He quickened nicely under Trevor, put his head down and marched resolutely towards the finishing line.  Top-weighted Sunstone tried his best to bridge the gap, but he was no match to the winner. Sudden Magic plodded along to take the third slot. With this win, Cirque Du Soleil moves into the next category. He is sure to make a mark amongst horses in the highest class at Bangalore. 

The two divisions of The VG Saravanan Memorial Cup, a seven furlong handicap for horses five years old and over in class III, produced identical finishes. In both these races, the camera had to be consulted before declaring the result. In fact, the top version saw more than half the field ending within a “neck” of the ultimate winner. In an open-betting event, Indian, Living Legend and Super Surprise matched strides in the initial stages and were ahead of the pack as they entered the straight. The nine runners were spread right across the track thereafter. It was impossible to say at that stage as to who was traveling better than the other. The three who finally cornered the top slots were those who came from behind. While Foswell and Apollo King were the widest of all, Lads Gladiator moved nicely through the middle. With Mi Amor and Super Surprise slowing down towards the inner rails, the five of them were almost in a line at the finish. The judge confirmed that Darius Byramji’s Foswell had managed to win from Lads Gladiator and Apollo King. Neeraj Rawal had ridden a strong finish on this winner. After a very long time, we witnessed a five-way finish at Bangalore. 

The lower division was the last race in the day’s card. With the withdrawal of the favourite Lucky Sam, the ones that finally participated failed to enthuse the punters. Because of her second in a sprint event a few days ago, Starista was installed at the top of the betting boards. The presence of PS Chouhan in the saddle was partially responsible for such a situation. It was apparent that none of the frontline contenders had run beyond a sprint, and it could be one of them who shall have to last out an extra furlong to win this race. That is exactly what happened. The speedy Magnomical from Lokanath’s yard just about managed to win this race. Tracking the seven year old Savvy Concept, Magnomical made his move at the bend. Apprentice Prabhakaran urged the five year old to lead into the straight, and tried his best to keep him going. With nothing coming from behind, it seemed as though he would succeed easily. However, that was not to be. The scene changed alarmingly in the final furlong. While Magnomical began to shorten his strides, Savvy Concept dug deep into his reserves of stamina and rallied along the inner rails. The two of them were locked together at the wire. The camera confirmed that Magnomical had just about won by a whisker. 

Hyderabad challenger Queen Of The Stars scored her second successive victory in the last couple of weeks by making all the running in a class IV scurry on Sunday. After winning a maidens event over a similar trip, the Leo D’Silva trained filly was rated at the top of this category by the handicapper. The trainer enhanced her chances by entrusting her to apprentice Arshad Alam. The three kilo allowance proved to be a deciding factor in the final outcome of this race. Darius Byramji’s Wind Surfer, who was receiving chunks of weight from the winner, was considered to be a serious threat to Queen Of The Stars. She too had run some good races amongst maidens, and was making a debut in “open” company. Queen Of The Stars made her way through a tightly packed group and was soon ahead of the others. She utilized her early speed to perfection and sped away from her rivals. By the time Wind Surfer discover her galloping shoes, the race was over. The fact that older horses like Magic Wave and Bold Nature finished in the vicinity of these two finishers, was a clear indication that both Queen Of The Stars and Wind Surfer had limitations of class and abilities.