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ADABELLA MADE TO EARN HER VICTORY

By Epsom Ace | 19 Mar 2014 | KOLKATA


Trainer Vijay Singh leading Adabella (Shailesh Shinde Up), winner of The Bangalore Turf Club Cup

The compact card of seven events was ruled by horses with long odds at the Calcutta mid-week races. However, the main event, The Bangalore Turf Club Cup, saw the on-money public choice Adabella from Vijay Singh’s stable land the spoils after being given a fright by top-weight Bullet in the final furlong. Jockey Shailesh Shinde had to put away the whip and ride her hands and heels below the distance post for her to pick up a gallop. It was evident that the light-weight bay filly detested the use of the whalebone and put her best foot forward the moment it was done away with. After heads turned for home, Bullet chose the rails run and collared the front-runner Aerator at the distance post but his joy was shortlived as the daughter of Multidimensional out of Serrafina showed her true potential after her earlier debacle to Smooth As Silk.

Young apprentice Azharuddin has been very much in the limelight this season and he made good his opportunities on this afternoon with a lucrative brace. After a difficult ride on Daniel David-trained Afrah, who had to be brought with a late run on the outside, the apprentice displayed his calm side when he made every post a winning one while astride Lantana Lady in the 2000 metres race for the San Francisco Handicap. Aided by her rider’s 3kg allowance, Lantana Lady was able to peg back the favourite Exclusive Colours to the runner-up berth. Winds Of The Ocean showed that he has improved considerably but failed to meet the class of these two prime contenders. The front-runner and winner Lantana Lady controlled the pace to a nicety to suit her style of running. The early pace was gentle put picked up gradually from the 1200 marker. The apprentice showed that he had something in hand when challenged strongly by the favourite in the straight and pulled away for a fairly comfortable victory.

Stupid Cupid and Tasveer closed as the joint favourites for the Zeeba Handicap but neither of them had the necessary form to pocket the mile race. It was ultimately bagged by Daniel David’s Afrah after front-running Jassi’s Star had shown the way till the home turn. The surprise package was Arti Doctor’s Fire Angel (New Famous-Firefoot) who negotiated the mile trip with aplomb to end as the worthy runner-up.

Trainer Robert Gowli has not been too successful this season and it was heartening to see his runner Goliath close as the favourite in the Cradle Of The Deep Handicap. The six-year-old was comfortably placed at the top of the straight when he switched to the outside to collar front-runner Noble Defender and shoot ahead in the straight. He seemed to be headed for victory till jockey S. Kamble on Tintoretto decided otherwise. He chose the shortest route home to bring home the bacon with this ward of Arti Doctor. As is his wont, Secret Whispers moved up late to occupy the third slot.

Trainer Vikash Jaiswal pulled off a high-priced double with Stiling Veil and No Looking Back. In the curtain-raiser, Jaiswal’s ante-post favourite I Command was slow off by lengths and lost all his chances while the 8/1 stablemate was positioned in striking position from the outset. Of the other fancied runners, Footloose ran a good race to finish second. Shivalik Shakti was a very poor fifth. Md Islam had Stiling Veil positioned well at the top of the straight where Footloose tended to drift out somewhat. Sensing an opportunity to score, Islam took his mount on the inside to draw away from the field and win by over a length. The faller in the race was Riverdown Empress whose jockey Shezad Khan had to be hospitalised.

Despite shouldering a massive impost of 62kg, No Looking Back raised a winning gallop in the final furlong of The Beat The Distance Handicap, when Imran Chisty applied the pressure. Chisty is known for his ‘pressure tactics’ at the all important end and his mount gradually wore down Windbreaker who was threatening to pull it off. The grapevine had it that the connections were sweet on the chestnut colt and he did run a good race. The disappointment was Vijay Singh’s Ace Glory who was given too much to do too late and yet finished runner-up.   

Javed Khan’s Broken Arrow had come on a lot after his last effort on February 11. His sprinting ability was never in doubt and the trainer had patiently worked on him to bring him to peak form. Jockey Afzal Khan had worked the four-year-old a day earlier and the gelding responded well to the same rider’s call to bag the Flying Saucer Handicap from the course favourite Gararo.