A tremendous performance by the Padmanabhan trained Isn’t She Special, enabled her to win The Mysore 1000 Guineas 2013 (GR.3) at the local races on Thursday. Aptly named by her connections, the filly did extremely well to overcome a lethargic start and win in difficult underfoot conditions. What looked very difficult at the start, was made possible with some brilliant acceleration. Considering the fact that she was running after a gap of three months, this victory thrilled her connections. This race had three final entrants. Striking, Keukenhof and Isn’t She Special had paid hefty amounts to start in the first Classic of the season. On the basis of her great form in recent months, Imtiaz Sait’s Keukenhof  was an obvious choice of the punters. She had started her racing career in June this year with a win in maiden company. A fair second in the Nawab Arshad Ali Khan Memorial Trophy thereafter, was followed with an effortless win against class III opponents at Mysore. Keukenhof had shown further improvement in her form with some smashing track work, and it was felt that she would be the one to beat in this race. Striking had displayed a lot of promise in the winter months, but her latest form was average. As recently as a month ago, she had lost as an on-money favourite to Jersey Shore and Keturah. On paper, she would have to improve by over three lengths to get the better of Keturah. Isn’t She special posted a runaway victory at the beginning of Bangalore Summer. Trainer Padmanabhan was quick to pitch her at the deep end by entering her in The Fillies Championship in her only other start. Isn’t She Special ran prominently till the bend before ending a dismal fourteenth in that race won by Amelia. However, her master decided to give her another chance on Thursday, and she proved him right by annexing this coveted trophy. 

The start of the race was greeted by intermittent showers. The track was totally drenched and the underfoot condition were far from satisfactory. While the other ten took off to a level start, it was Isn’t She Special who lost a fair bit of ground at the gates. She walked out of her innermost stall and was seen gracing the rear. The action in front witnessed Light Of Success showing the way to Keukenhof , Beauty Is Truth and Madame Bovary. Striking and Keturah were held back in mid division, while Isn’t She Special  made up ground at the back and had steadily joined the pack. After Light Of Success got tired at the bend, it was Keukenhof who went ahead. However, she was unable to skip clear of the pack and was seen plodding in front. It was evident that someone would come from behind and get the better of her. Two of her challengers made a move at an identical juncture. While Isn’t She Special came the shortest way home and overtook her on the inside, Striking produced a sparkling turn of foot to join the two of them. With Keukenhof fading out of contention, the battle in the final furlong became a duel between Isn’t She Special and Striking. Under the strong urgings of Dasrath Singh, the former put her neck in front and won with a measure of comfort. Keukenhof was able to cling on to her third spot, only marginally ahead of Madame Bovary and Keturah. With a better start, the winner would have definitely won much easier.  

The added attraction in the day’s card was The FK Irani Memorial Trophy. The seven furlong handicap for horses in the highest category had eleven runners. Padmanabhan’s Chase The Sun started as a firm favourite in this race. Even though she had failed repeatedly during summer, there were many who felt that she could win amongst the present group of horses. Her track work at Bangalore had been quite suggestive and she looked well in the parade ring. There were others who chose to support Nickel Chrome. Her fair third behind Shivalik Star over 1200 metres brought her right into the equation. The only question mark against her was an ability to tackle the longer trip. Virat took off like a scalded cat and showed the way to Quick Enough, Color Me and Indian Bolt. The chasing pack was headed by Nickel Chrome and Chase the Sun. The runners started to get tightly grouped as they approached the bend. Quick Enough got the better of Virat and enjoyed a slender advantage into the straight. He was soon joined and passed by Nickel Chrome. With Sreekanth refusing to give up with Ganapathy’s Quick Enough, PS Chouhan had a fight on his hands. Nickel Chrome continued to move marginally ahead of Quick Enough and appeared to have things under control. However, once Chouhan dropped his whip accidentally in the final furlong, the two of them got closer. They were besides each other at the post. The bobbing of heads went in favour of Quick Enough. He had just about got the better of Nickel Chrome at the post. Demanding Format and Talisker appeared late on the scene to take the minor placings on the result boards. Chase The Sun ran another poor race and finished off the frame. 

After holding one more race immediately after the 1000 Guineas, the Stewards of the Mysore Race Club had a closer look at the track and decided to cancel the last two races of the day. This race happened to be The RWITC Trophy, a scurry for maiden three year olds. With the withdrawal of Cheval D’or, it appeared to be a one horse affair. On the basis of his close third behind Turf Striker, Arjun Mangalorkar’s Smokey Sid had the looks of a readymade winner. A majority of the horses running in this race were Mysore based youngsters, and their form was far from satisfactory. On the other hand, Smokey Sid had been doing good work in the company of some highly regarded stable-mates. The half money favourite leapt out of the gates and was a few lengths clear of Flash Time and the others, as they tackled the soft ground and moved towards the bend. Smokey Sid was travelling so well in front, that it was difficult to visualize any of the others getting close to him. John kept him on an even keel as he cantered past the winning post. Srinath made free use of his whip while urging Flash Time to get close to the winner. Standing Tall and Beautiful Fin earned their corn bill by finishing third and fourth respectively. 

The two divisions of a race reserved for horses in the lowest category, were the first two events in the day’s card. Trainer Amit Caddy made full use of this opportunity by entering a couple of runners, thereby ensuring that he had a representative in each one of them. He enlisted the services of Suraj Narredu in the saddle.  With money flowing in the direction of Magnetic Power and Nations Glory in the day’s opener, the odds against Amit’s London Eye reached 10’s and over, as the runners entered the starting gates. Once Magnanimous, Nations Glory and Magnetic Power began to fight for an early advantage, Suraj did well to settle London Eye behind them. The four of them skipped clear of the rest, and were within a couple of lengths of each other at the final bend. With Nations Glory and Magnetic Power drifting out under pressure, a huge gap appeared at the top of the straight. Suraj brought London Eye with a sustained and moved fluently towards the leader. With Magnanimous running out of steam thereafter, it was smooth sailing for London Eye. He got stronger with each stride and moved further ahead of Magnanimous, Magnetic Power and Nations Glory.

The upper division had a strong favourite in The Gentle Don. After winning a race for the Amit Caddy’s stable during Bangalore Summer, this five year old had finished third behind Natural View and Kolaveri Di in a similar race held a few weeks ago at Mysore. He was lucky to meet a poor set of opponents on Thursday, and therefore, was backed spiritedly by his connections. The on-money favourite performed on expected lines and posted one of the easiest victories of the afternoon. Suraj rode him in check behind Youre a Legend and Immaculate till the final turn, and made his move thereafter. Improving like a seasoned campaigner, The Gentle Don swept past the two front-runners and won by a widening margin from Immaculate. Three year old Belle Etoile came from a long way back to save place money for her followers. 

A seven furlong event for Mysore based horses rated 20-45 was the only other race held during the afternoon. Since there was a solid downpour at the start, this particular race was run in extremely poor visibility. With the favourite Sanatana losing precious ground at the gates, it was evident that we were in for a surprise result. Blues And Royals led on sufferance from Maverical and Prost, as the nine of them made their way towards the bend. As most of the jockeys were searching for better ground on the outer portion of the track, the field was totally spread out in the straight. Just as Maverical made his move towards the front, there were a couple of runners that appeared from behind. Vertex shot through the middle, while Sanatana started to bridge the gap on the extreme outside. In the hands of Irvan Singh, Ranjeet trained Vertex got stronger in the final furlong to beat Maverical and Sanatana at the wire. The last named was distinctly unlucky to lose this race. Despite her back breaking weight as well as a tardy start, the small made filly made up acres of ground to end very close to the winner.