A sparkling turn of foot in the final furlong enabled Imtiaz Sait’s Déjà Vu to claim The VT Velu Memorial Cup at the Bangalore races on Thursday. The trainer’s decision to keep him at Bangalore and have a tilt at the day’s feature proved to be worthwhile. Déjà Vu had run a good second behind Storm Tracker in his first start after arriving from Mumbai, and shown that he is in good condition. Storm Tracker’s subsequent form had added lustre to the said performance.  Even though Déjà Vu failed in his next effort against “graded” company, there was little doubt that he had a great chance while racing at his own mark. A small group of eight had accepted to run in this race. Apart from Déjà Vu, the one’s that headed the charts were Zultanite and Cirque Du Soleil. The former had run well against the likes of Archibaldo and Mountain Range, while Cirque Du Soleil had been improving with each run. The last named had progressed nicely by picking up three races on the trot and was running for the first time in top class company. All three of them were at their best over the seven furlong trip, and seemed to have the race between them. With Suraj aboard, Zultanite became a strong favourite as the runners faced the starter. 

In a slow run race, Sunstone showed the way to State Secret and Cirque Du Soleil. Srinath was able to hold fourth astride Déjà Vu, while Suraj and Zultanite lacked early speed and were seen at the back of the pack. The order remained exactly the same as they took the rising ground and turned for home. The first horse to make a move at the bend was Cirque Du Soleil. With Imran Chisty goading him further, the four year old moved ahead of the others. Since those around him were getting tired, it was time for Déjà Vu and Zultanite to make their respective bids. Srinath used his stick to rouse Déjà Vu, and the horse responded immediately. He devoured ground and came alongside the leader. Even though Suraj brought Zultanite with some hard riding from the back, he was unable to go anywhere near the leaders. After getting the measure of Cirque Du Soleil, Déjà Vu got stronger with each stride and won with a measure of comfort. Zultanite’s long strides were good enough to beat Cirque Du Soleil into third place. The winner is in fine form and can be expected to pick up another race soon after his return to Pune. 

The Major Newton Davis Memorial Cup, a sprint for horses in class III, attracted a number of speedy three year olds. Horses like Ayrton, Super Start, Salzburg and Rock With U had already won this season, and were expected to be involved in an intense battle for supremacy. On the basis of his good looks and some exceptional track work, Arjun Mangalorkar’s Ayrton started as the first choice of the punters. After a smashing victory on debut, he had failed to tackle the soft ground in The Nawab Arshad Ali Khan Memorial Cup. In good going on Thursday, Ayrton was expected to resume his winning ways. However that was not to be. It was Dominic’s Rock With U that darted to the front and made them all run. In the hands of apprentice Noornabi, this last outing winner proved to be too strong for his eleven opponents. There are a number of racegoers who like to study the body weights of all runners. Those who had a close look at the charts today were quick to realize that Rock With U was weighing twenty one kilos less than what he had weighed last time. Some amongst them who felt that this was a huge advantage were benefited by their opinion. Rock With U raced alongside Refreshed till the bend, before asserting his superiority. Stopping the clock in a top class timing, Rock With U indicated that he is destined for further successes later in his career. After a tardy start, Ayrton rallied late to take the second place ahead of Frenemee and Super Start. 

The Ministrella Trophy, a scurry for maiden three year olds, was won by Padmanabhan’s Placervilles Glory. This nice looking filly was a bit unfortunate in her last start, when she had been caught and passed by Wind Surfer close home. Even that day, she had darted out of the starting gates and set a strong pace throughout that race. Imran Chisty utilized her early speed and eased her into a comfortable lead over Jolie, Maracana, Cullinan and Man Of Vision. The five of them were clear of the others as they turned for home. While the order in front remained the same for rest of the way, there was a battle for the minor placings. Placervilles Glory maintained her momentum and scored over a hard ridden Jolie, while Man Of Vision rallied in the final stages to move marginally ahead of Cullinan near the winning post. Jolie seems to have improved after a longish rest and this light framed filly can be earmarked for an early victory during the Mysore season. 

The only double during the afternoon was scored by leading jockey Suraj Narredu. His victories astride Sovereign Rule and Irish Song were achieved in identical fashion, as on both of them, he enjoyed the liberty of looking back at his helpless rivals. Sovereign Rule had served notice of an immediate success by ending a very good second to Deep Diver on debut. Trainer Dhariwal chose to run him over a bit longer, and the chestnut was equally comfortable over seven furlongs. While there was sustained support for Ace Badraan, King Of The Court and Southern Emperor, it was Sovereign Rule that enjoyed the confidence of the punters. He took a good jump from an inner draw and showed the way to Kolaveri Di and Artic Attraction. While Southern Emperor raced close behind them, Ace Badraan was seen languishing at the back. The race took a serious turn in the straight. The moment Suraj pressed the accelerator, the race was over. Sovereign Rule lengthened his strides and galloped away from the pack. Southern Emperor appeared towards the centre of the track to move into second place, while Ace Badraan wove his way through a troubled passage and saved place money for his backers. He got up in the nick of time to beat Artic Attraction into fourth place. With a better jockey in the saddle, Ace Badraan will be too-good-to-miss in his next start. He looks like a strong horse with great scope for improvement. 

In the very next race, Suraj rode Amit Caddy’s three year old filly Irish Song. In her most recent start amongst maidens, she had ended third behind Chiffon and Flying Colours. Since Irish Song enjoyed a low rating, the trainer was able to run her amongst horses in the lowest category. She was opposed by another three year old named Ezee Go Lucky. This Prasanna Kumar trainee had run thrice this summer, and on all occasions, finished fourth against maiden three year olds. Both these fillies were allotted the top weight of 62.5 kilos. Ezee Go Lucky did her usual front-running and led from Oriental Star and Irish Song. It was apparent that Irish Song was moving the best of the lot, and it was only a matter of time before she would assert her superiority. But not many expected her to do what she finally achieved. A mere tap with the whip near the two furlong marker was all that was needed. She bounded forward and won by more than a “distance” at the finish. A totally exhausted pair of Ezee Go Lucky and Oriental Star managed to retain their minor placings on the result boards. 

A mile handicap for older horses in class III witnessed a remarkable performance from Irfan Ghatala’s See Bright. This filly was tackling the mile trip for the first time in her career, and was being opposed by many who had done that before. In an open betting event, the one’s that were expected to do well were Irfan’s other runner named Wind Force, Darius Byramji’s Sumitomo and Suleiman Attaollahi’s Supreme. The eight acceptors took a level jump and were closely huddled as they traversed the first half of their journey. Greyconnection led marginally from Chiron, Arrabian Gold and Wind Force, as they moved towards the final bend and turned for home. With Sumitomo and Supreme making a strong surge towards the leader, the race was headed for a close finish. Those in front were unaware of what was happening behind them. See Bright, who was tailed-off at that stage was being switched towards the outer portion of the track. Just as Sumitomo overtook Greyconnection and shaped like a winner, See Bright looked very threatening. She galloped resolutely in the last half-furlong to take the first prize ahead of Sumitomo and Greyconnection. Wind Force ran out of steam in the straight and was seen plodding in the final stages of this race. 

The only other races that were conducted in an eight event card were the two divisions of a seven furlong handicap, for horses five years old and over, in class IV. The lower division set the ball rolling on Thursday, while the top one happened to be the concluding event of the afternoon. The punters were totally clueless in the day’s opener. This sentiment was reflected on the betting charts, as there was no clear favourite in this race. Bottom-weighted Jewel Lady charged to the front and made a strong bid to enter the winner’s enclosure. She was able to shake-off Mystere, Bounty Hunter and Brownie near the distance post and was allowed to move strongly towards the finishing line. However, she was stunned on the post by Babu Rao’s Arun. After a number of lacklustre performances this season, Arun finally showed some form. He galloped on the wide outside, made up a lot of ground on the leader and managed to beat her on the final stride. GY Rajesh Babu was able to win his first race this summer. 

The day ended with a smart victory for Ganapathy’s Bourbon Rock. After being involved in a blanket finish alongside Spiritual Star and Savvy Concept in mid July, Bourbon Rock had failed in his next start. He was unable to match strides with younger horses, and therefore, the five year old was asked to revert to racing amongst horses in his own age group. Summer Sun and Saratoga Spring shared favouritism in early morning trade, but their expanding odds were a cause of concern for their followers. Unfancied Blue Star showed rare speed to go ahead of Inspirator and The Guardian. Saratoga Spring was caught wide in fourth, while Bourbon Rock and Summer Sun ambled along at the back, as the nine runners turned for home. With the leaders shortening their strides, it was apparent that something from behind would come and win this race. While Srinath was unable to get much galloping space for Summer Sun towards the inner rails, Sreekanth did well to bring Bourbon Rock on the wide outside. The bay literally “flew” in the last fifty metres to win easier than the official verdict. Blue Star, The Guardian and Summer Sun fought a close battle for the minor slots.