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STRIKE THE STARS SPARKLES IN THE SUMMER MILLION

By Pearcey | 28 Jul 2013 | BANGALORE


Trainer S Ganapathy leading Strike The Stars (Fr Co F Dasilva Up), winner of The Bangalore Summer Million (Gr.3)

A strong finishing effort in the saddle from Franco DaSilva enabled trainer Ganapathy’s Strike The Stars to wrest the initiative from his strongly fancied stablemate Supreme Regime, and romp home to a stunning victory in The Bangalore Summer Million (Grade III) at the local races on Sunday. The chestnut got stronger with each stride in the straight and was definitely the best moving horse at the finish. Since most of the outstation runners had gone back to their home centres, this prestigious race was contested by six Bangalore based horses.  Being a mile event for three year olds, in which a winner of two races was asked to carry a three kilo penalty, Argiano, Supreme Regime and Alcazaba were seen conceding weight to Arrogant Approach, Strike The Stars and My Lakshmi. Despite their heavy imposts, Alcazaba and Supreme Regime caught the attention of the punters. While Alcazaba had impressed while ending a very close second to Lad Star in a class II handicap, Supreme Regime had won a couple of races this season with ridiculous ease. His last victory in The Nawab Arshad Ali Khan Memorial Cup over the Derby weekend was very suggestive. The only question remained about their ability to tackle the extra furlong, but, most of their fans were hugely optimistic about their chances. Argiano and Arrogant Approach had stray support with the bookmakers. 

The six of them took off to a level start. Top-weighted Argiano got straight down to business and set a strong pace ahead of Supreme Regime and My Lakshmi. While Strike The Stars was well positioned in fourth, Alcazaba and Arrogant Approach brought up the rear. The order was exactly the same near the three furlong marker, when they took the rising ground and moved towards the final stretch. With Argiano and My Lakshmi running out of steam and fading away from the scene, Supreme Regime shot ahead of the others. He enjoyed a two length break at the bend and was seen traveling comfortably at that stage. Arrogant Approach found a way through the inner rails, while Alcazaba and Strike The Stars appeared towards the centre of the track. With whips flying and all four jockeys riding strongly, they started to get closer. It was soon evident that the best moving of the lot was Strike The Stars. He gained ground on Supreme Regime, joined him near the distance post and strode clear of him thereafter. Supreme Regime, Arrogant Approach and Alcazaba ended at regular intervals to take the minor placings in the day’s feature. This was definitely the best riding performance from Franco DaSilva since his arrival in India. Strike The Stars showed remarkable improvement over his previous run, and looks like a staying type that is sure to do well over extended trips. With this run, Alcazaba confirmed that she has limitations of stamina.  

The Col Rajkumar C Desraj Urs Memorial Trophy, a nine furlong handicap for horses in class II, was the added attraction in the day’s card. Padmanabhan trained Art Of Enchantment was running for the first time after her classic campaign in Mumbai during the winter months. Her recent track work was the only indication that the punters had about her chances. But a look at her in the paddock did not enthuse many to back her with confidence. Despite being on her toes, she looked “light” while being paraded in front of the grandstands. Those looking to oppose her were seen having small bets on Sandstorm, Sussex Downs and Apollo King. Magnitude Star and Sandstorm fought for an early advantage and showed the way to Sussex Downs and Art Of Enchantment, as the seven of them tackled the first half of their journey. After staying in touch on the wide outside, Art Of Enchantment came under pressure at the bend and was the first horse beaten in this race. After Magnitude Star’s outward drift at the bend, at which stage he took Sandstorm along with him, it was Sussex Downs that went ahead of the others. She took the shortest way home and had the measure of those around her. But the race was not yet over. Arshad Alam roused Apollo King near the two furlong pole and produced him on the wide outside. The five year old showed sparkling acceleration and flew from the last position to storm home for a splendid victory. Samar Singh needs to be complimented ,as has done really well with this five year old. 

The other “trophy” event in the seven event card was The Squanderer Trophy. A number of talented maidens had accepted to run in this seven furlong race. Mickey Mouse, Arabian Warrior, Ademaro, and Seven Of Hearts had all finished close behind the winners in their previous starts. The one that had caught the punters attention was Mickey Mouse. He had literally flown from the tail end of the field to take the third spot behind Super Start and Force Ensign. Trainer Lokanath had run him over the present trip in the only start thus far in his career, and had chosen to entrust him once again to B Sreekanth today. He justified the confidence of his yard with a top class performance. Mickey Mouse tracked Sur La Tete and Seven Of Hearts till the bend, before asserting his superiority. He swept past them in the straight and opened up a good looking lead into the final furlong. A late finishing effort from Arabian Warrior enabled him to end a good second. In a close fight for the third spot, Pursuit Of Fame beat Sur La Tete and a well backed Ademaro at the finish. The winner is a nice type that is sure to make his presence felt in higher company. 

A class IV sprint, for horses four years old and over, attracted a large number of entries. Consequently, this race got split into two divisions. The upper version appeared to be a match race between Money Ball and The Scientist. Both of them were known to be speedy types that loved to race in front.  Some late support for Loyal King added interest to the proceedings. Suraj Narredu took Money Ball to the front, but he was soon joined by Ahsan Qureshi and The Scientist. Loyal King lacked early speed and was seen racing many lengths behind the two leaders. Money Ball and The Scientist contested every inch of ground and fought out a stirring duel in the straight. After a long battle, it was The Scientist who asserted his superiority. He got the better of Money Ball and beat him by half a length at the finish. Loyal King covered a lot of ground in the final stages and ended right next to the two of them. But for the longer distance that he covered by traveling wide throughout, Loyal King could have won this race. He looks like a readymade winner in his next start. 

Sharat Kumar’s Starstruck showed a clean pair of heels to his eight opponents in the other division of this race. He was fancied alongside Isle Of Fire and Boudicca, and his supporters felt that his third behind younger horses like Strike The Stars and Super Start would be enough to win to win this age group race today. They proved to be perfectly right. Starstruck took a nice balanced jump and Irvan Singh kept him away from trouble by choosing a clear path towards the outer portion of the track. After allowing Isle Of Fire and Gift Of Love to lead on sufferance, he overtook them in the straight. There was only one horse in this race thereafter. Starstruck trounced his opponents and won by more than a distance at the finish. While Gift Of Love hung onto her second place, the grey Lady Mandy made up some ground to finish a close third. Both Isle Of Fire and Boudicca ran poor races to finish off the frame. 

The day began with a popular win for on-money favourite Royal Rein. This  three year old had ended a good second to Supreme Regime exactly a month ago, and was re-appearing after some good work on the training track. Amit Caddy chose to ease his burden by entrusting him to apprentice Ramu. There is no doubt that this youngster has grown in confidence after winning a few races this season.  After tracking Zagato till the bend, Ramu allowed his mount to join the leader. He rode him hands-n-heels thereafter and scored with a measure of comfort. Franco DaSilva managed to rouse Zagato once again in the closing stages, but the winner was always traveling better than them. Youre Chilubuli managed to save place money for his backers by keeping a hard ridden Arun at bay. 

The weekend’s racing ended on a good note for the punters, when even-money favourite Wind Tunnel justified his fine looks and carried a lot of weight to a hard ridden victory. After changing stables this season, the four year old had been subjected to some steady preparation. Satish Narredu had tested Wind Tunnel alongside some highly rated horses in his yard to assess his potential. With Suraj declared to ride him, the punters refused to let go of such an opportunity and backed him with confidence. Despite his wide draw of thirteen, Wind Tunnel took a good jump and moved alongside Mystic Lavenders and Autumn Red, as the large field moved towards the bend. The runners were spread out in the straight. Each jockey was trying to ensure an unhampered passage for his own mount, and it was clear that whoever kicked-on from this position would win this race. To the relief of his numerous backers, Wind Tunnel emerged from the pack and moved ahead of the others. Being goaded by Suraj’s whip, he lengthened his strides and skipped clear of President’s Rule and Potomac. Both these placed horses covered a lot of ground in the straight and served notice of their present form and fitness. They can be placed to win a race in the near future. Wind Tunnel is also expected to score on promotion.