S.Padmanabhan’s Red Renegade won the Deccan Bookmakers Colts Trial Stakes, giving the trainer a classic double this monsoon at Hyderabad. Wayne Smith guided the fortunes for the proud owners, Mr.V.N.Babu and Mr. & Mrs.Iqbal Nathani representing M/s.Alpha Stud & Farms Pvt.Ltd., Red Renegade who spared a length at the wire is beginning to bloom after being gelded. After taking a flying jump, Red Renegade hit the front in a fast pace. Menlo Park soon passed the field to show the way and that gave Smith an opportunity to settle his gelding in second. Passing the 600 metres Menlo Park was still in the lead followed by Red Renegade, Bourbon Bay, Lone Ranger, Fleet Indian, Hussler, Davenport, Corbett, Silver Sputnik and Al Fatah in that order. As Menlo Park packed up, Red Renegade shot into the front and was given a brilliant ride by Wayne Smith. Fleet Indian started to gallop late and was getting closer with every stride but fell short by a length at the finish. There may be a lot of controversies about J.H.Christopher’s ride on Fleet Indian. If you recollect Fleet Indian’s last five runs, you may observe that he always runs in patches and his turn of foot is always late in the race. Bourbon Bay finished a tame third. Corbett raised some hopes on the straight while Al Fatah ran a blinder to finish fifth behind Corbett.

Attractress showed some signs of getting back her lost form, winning the Totarams Cup, run over 2000 metres. Attractress and Reconnect were meeting for the first time after their clash in the winter Derby here. Attractress was run off the pace till the top of the straight wherefrom she whizzed past the relatively poor company. Vijay Marg moved to take the second spot ahead of Bold Blast. Reconnect was has lost his galloping shoes finished a poor fifth. Deshmukh, who trains the winner, did well again, completing a double, having scored on Mayfair Girl, who was backed to the hilt in the Classic Style Cup. Roopesh was astride both the horses.

Trainer M.V.Narayan Rao had a profitable day as he went on to pick up two races. He first won on Penumatcha in the higher division of the Star Haven Cup. Travelling behind the early leader Music Express, Penumatcha grabbed the position in front and beat the half money favourite True Force, with a measure of comfort. Regent’s Park was badly stuck in the traffic when he was getting into the stride on the wide outside, changed course towards the rails and finished third. Rao’s Al Jouf beat another odds-on favourite Storm Command in a close finish in the higher division of the Raja.R.J.K.Ranga Rao Memorial Cup. Cannon Scot also moved swiftly towards the finish to end up a short head behind the runner up. Storm Command who lost the race narrowly by a neck was reported to have returned lame on his left fore.   

The lower division was claimed by Hari Har Priya, who made it start to finish for the second consecutive time this season.

Jugnu sprang into the lead near the 300 metres in the lower division of the Star Haven Cup and managed to hold on by half a length despite veering out alarmingly in the last 30 metres. Narwhal, who finished second, did not bother to object, although her ground was hampered by the winner, by not maintaining a straight course close to the finish.

Ananth Vatsalya’s Kohinoor Mystic cantered home by a huge margin in the opening race while Shehzad Abbas’s Auburn Star claimed the concluding race start to finish.