Suleiman Attaollahi’s Silken Touch utilized her early speed while stunning a bunch of Class I horses at Bangalore on Friday. She went to the front and lasted out to win The Hyderabad Silver Vase, the feature in a long card of nine events held during the afternoon. Assisted by Ryan Marshall, she tackled the seven furlong trip with a lot of maturity. Even though she had won over a similar distance at Hyderabad, there wasn’t much support for her today. Her owner-mates Cirque Du Soleil and Chase The Sun along with last outing winner Zultanite, were amongst the fancied runners in the day’s feature. All three of them had clashed in a similar event a few weeks ago. Zultanite had won in a close finish that day from Cirque Du Soleil and Chase The Sun. Since Zultanite was saddled with a winning penalty, he somehow did not appeal at the weights. The fourth horse that received stray support was Jersey Shore. The connections felt that but for an interference from Aristos, their colt would have ended very close to the abovementioned horses. With French jockey L Beuzelin in the saddle, Cirque Du Soleil started as a marginal favourite ahead of the others. There was no doubt that today’s race had a very open look about it. 

Ryan Marshall took Silken Touch to the front and went a couple of lengths clear of Indian Bolt, Nickel Chrome, Cirque Du Soleil and Jersey Shore. Both Chase The Sun and Zultanite were content to race at the back, as the field settled down and tackled the rising ground near the three furlong marker. It was here that Ryan slowed down the pace marginally. The others played into his hands and did the same at the back. Srinath was the only one who showed some urgency and pushed Jersey Shore on the wide outside. He roused some hopes before fading out of contention. With Ryan waving his whip at Silken Touch, the mare quickened brilliantly in the straight. She darted to the front and opened-up a two length lead over the others. Both Chase The Sun and Zultanite made their forward moves at the same juncture. Zultanite did well to cover a lot of ground on the wide outside and moved dangerously towards the leader. However, the winning post came to the rescue of Silken Touch. She held onto a slender advantage over Zultanite and Chase The Sun. Cirque Du Soleil ran poorly to finish off the frame. The one that impressed was the top-weighted Sky Train. He covered acres of ground from the tail end of the field to finish just half a length behind third placed Chase The Sun. He can be ear-marked for an early victory. 

The TB Hanumantharaj Memorial Cup, a seven furlong race for horses four years old and over in class III, was the added attraction in the day’s card. The upper division of this race saw Prasanna Kumar’s Novel Approach attempting to score his third straight victory. The six year old looked extremely good in the parade ring, and attracted a lot of support with the bookmakers. Even though horses like Sandstorm and Atlas Power were better placed at the weights, there was no denying the fact that the favourite seemed to be headed for another success.  John and Novel Approach leapt out of the gates and got straight down to business. Wind Tunnel, Mi Amor and Wrekin tried chasing him till the bend, but all of them were totally exhausted as the runners entered the straight. While Novel Approach continued his dominance in front, a late bid on the wide outside by Abbas Dreams allowed him to finish second ahead of Mi Amor and Wind Tunnel. Novel Approach is in great heart, and it may not surprise many if he continues with his winning ways. 

The only jockey to score a double on Friday was Suraj Narredu. The leading jockey had a number of good rides and was expected to have some winners during the afternoon. Irfan Ghatala’s Ice Cutter started as the shortest priced runner of the season in the lower division of the abovementioned race. This horse had started his career in early November by landing a successful gamble for the stable. In the hands of Anjar Alam he had delivered the goods with a runaway victory. Even though he was carrying a stiff penalty, the quality of his opponents was so poor today that it was difficult to see any of them troubling the favourite. Allowing Firelight and Gun Salute to lead on sufferance, Suraj kept Ice Cutter in third place and waited for an opportunity to make his final move. After a minor fight with Firelight near the distance post, Ice Cutter grew stronger with each subsequent stride and went on to score a laboured victory. This was definitely not the way one expected a 25/100 horse to perform on a race track. Ice Cutter will have to show a lot of improvement if he wants to defy the handicapper in his next start. Firelight has been running some good races this winter, and this was the third time that she has had to play the role of a bridesmaid in the last one month.  

Suraj had to use all his skills while guiding a small made Cannes for his next victory. This filly from the Satish Narredu stable is perhaps the smallest specimen currently stationed at Bangalore. After her victory at Mysore and a third placed effort earlier in the season, Cannes was installed as a first favourite. Blackbird, Cash My Way, Oriental Belle and Himavari were the others that were considered by the punters. With Himavari taking an erratic jump from the gates and moving outwards from the innermost draw, a number of runners were inconvenienced at the start. Himavari wrested the issue and scampered ahead of Cash My Way, Cannes and Blackbird. The four of them kicked clear of the other seven in this race. The scene altered in the straight. With Himavari and Cash My Way dropping out of contention, the stage was set for an earnest duel between Blackbird and Cannes. PS Chouhan urged Blackbird into a slender advantage over Cannes, and made free use of his whip. On the other hand, Suraj relied more on his ability to push Cannes towards the centre of the track. It was only in the final fifty metres or so that Cannes asserted her superiority. She moved marginally ahead of Blackbird in the nick of time and scored a hard-fought victory. There is no doubt that she is a tiny filly with a very big heart. Luc Divine came from a long way back to save place money for her followers. 

With a modest string of horses under his charge, trainer Samar Singh has been finding it tough to win races at Bangalore. A stray success, once in a while from his yard, is all that we have gotten used to over the last few years. After a fairly long time, this amiable trainer was seen leading-in a couple of winners on Friday. He was successful in targeting a race for horses in the lowest category. A large number of acceptors in this scurry had ensured that the race would be split into two parts. By entering Gagan Star and Anmol Hira, Samar ensured that he had a runner in each division. Gagan Star had shown speed in his last start, when he had made all the running over seven furlongs and faltered in the final stages to finish second behind Well Known. Over 1100 metres today, he was definitely running with a chance. Samar enhanced his chances by claiming an allowance and entrusting him to apprentice Vishwanath. The youngster took Gagan Star to the front and opened-up a huge lead at the bend. With the favourite Secret Touch stumbling near the distance post, Gagan Star’s job became easier. He continued the good work in front and managed to win by a comfortable margin from Bel Esprit, Secret Touch and Jet Set Go. Those who took the minor positions on the result boards look capable of winning at their present mark before the end of this season. 

The lower division was the day’s opener. Samar Singh’s Anmol Hira had repeatedly failed to figure on the result boards, and over a period of time had gradually dropped down to the lowest category. With S Babu in the saddle, this runner was freely available at 10’s and over with the bookmakers. It was difficult to remember when this jockey had last won a race at this centre. Here too, the instructions were apparently the same. “Hit the front and keep going” was perhaps what the trainer had told Babu. The rookie pushed Anmol Hira ahead of Raja’s Pet , Big Copper Penny and Burden Of Lady, and led the field into the straight.  Even though Anmol Hira was slowing down perceptibly in the final furlong, there was nothing which was seriously accelerating from behind. A strongly backed Big Copper Penny responded late to TS Jodha’s urgings and got closer at the finish. However, Anmol Hira had apparently hung-on to his early advantage and succeeded in scoring a very narrow victory. Burden Of Lady, Buzzword and Extra Spark were the others who were seen doing some good work in the final stages of this race. The close finish in this race was confirmed by the fact that the first five horses had ended within a length of each other. 

A mile handicap for horses in class III attracted a lot of attention. There were a number of talented three year olds in a field of nine acceptors, and the betting was evenly spread out over Regal Boast, Alfons De Borja, Jackie Oh and Mannat.  While the first three had won a race each and graduated to this category, the last named was still a maiden. It was learnt that trainer Byramji had requested for an enhanced rating to enable the filly to participate in this event. Her low weight and a known ability to tackle the mile, brought her right into the reckoning. Beuzelin sent Scarlet O’hara into an early lead and she traveled at a decent pace ahead of Mannat, Jackie Oh and Alfons De Borja. The order remained exactly the same till the final bend. With Imran Chisty and Mannat cruising on the wide outside, it was easy to realize that it was only a matter of time before the well-bred filly would seize the initiative. That is exactly what happened in the straight. Mannat quickened under the whip and carried Chisty to a runaway victory. Alfons De Borja made a move from behind to beat Scarlet O’Hara into third place. Regal Boast and Jackie Oh were clearly outclassed in this event. There are many who feel that a maiden seldom wins a class III race. Those who chose to ignore that factor were delighted with Mannat’s performance on Friday. 

Trainer Dominic’s recently acquired Absolute Majority ran a vastly improved race while sprinting to a comfortable victory against class II opponents. Amongst the beaten brigade was piping hot favourite Wind Wonder. On the basis of his unbeaten record in summer, this Irfan Gahatala trainee was touted as one of the faster horses at this centre. Wind Wonder had won both his races on a tight leash and recorded some fairly smart timings. He made his winter debut a fortnight ago and was caught flat-footed by a speedy Light Of Success. There were many who felt that a longish absence from racing had led to his undoing. With the said run under his belt, Wind Wonder was once again installed at the top of the betting boards. The 70/100 quoted on him indicated the confidence of his supporters. To their utter dismay, the four year old put up a doleful performance and failed to figure on the result boards. Suraj held him till the bend and allowed Divine Deliverance and Will Star to lead the twelve horse field into the straight. PS Chouhan and Absolute Majority were also in contention as they turned for home. It was hereabouts that Wind Wonder collapsed like a house of cards. Despite Suraj’s strong urgings near the furlong marker, he failed to improve his position. He shortened his strides and faded out of contention. In the midst of all this, Absolute Majority arrived with giant strides on the wide outside and skipped clear of Will Star, Athletic Star and Samara Sun.