Sirajuddin trained Secret Punch came with a brilliant run in the final furlong to annex the D Kumar Siddanna Memorial Cup at the Bangalore races on Saturday. The six year old re-discovered his old form to run his best race this year. This sprint for horses rated 60 and over attracted a small field of eight runners. Named after a past Chairman of The Bangalore Turf Club, the race had a clear favourite in Prasanna Kumar’s Amazing Redd. A majority of those running today had already clashed in a similar event exactly two weeks ago. Based on all available evidence, Amazing Redd appeared to be a strong contender to lift this trophy. In the hands of a whipless jockey, he had beaten most his present rivals that day. With Trevor replacing Indrajeet Singh, there were many who backed him with supreme confidence. Not many gave a chance to Secret Punch. After winning some top class races as a four year old, this big built horse had seemingly lost his form. In the last one year, he had been running lethargically to finish off the frame. A recent drop in scales had allowed him to compete at the present level this season. For a change, he had been given a lot of swimming in the last couple of months and subjected to light work on the training track.  This change in tactics bore fruit for the stable.  Secret Punch displayed a renewed zest for racing and this seemingly allowed him to bag the day’s feature.

Barring Frenemee, the other seven acceptors took off to a fluent start. Will Star went smoothly to the front and set a strong pace ahead of Cape Ferrat and Amazing Redd. The chasing pack was headed by Secret Punch and Icelander, as the eight of them turned for home. The front-runners began to get closer in the straight. Will Star on the rails, Amazing Redd in the centre and Cape Ferrat on the outside were almost abreast near the distance post, and it was difficult to spot the winner. In the midst of all this action, another horse began to loom large on the wide outside. The grey colours of Secret Punch became prominent with each successive stride. He was definitely moving better than the others, and one realized that it was clearly a matter of time before he would assert his superiority. Secret Punch grabbed the lead in the last hundred metres, and some hard riding from B Mahesh, managed to keep Amazing Redd at bay. Will Star retained third ahead of a tired Cape Ferrat and Icelander. We are sure to see some useful three year olds competing at this level in the coming weeks, and it may take a while for the present lot of older horses to win a race in summer.

Veteran Rashid Byramji  was the only trainer to score a double on Saturday. His first winner was a filly named Blitzschnelle, who posted an expected victory in the day’s opener. Her second to a much superior Pippin on the opening day of the season had been quite suggestive. Since she was running against some fairly ordinary horses today, she was installed as a money-back favourite in this race. With retained rider Imran Chisty being unavailable, she was entrusted to Shailesh. Unable to restrain her from going to the front, Shailesh allowed her to do so. Blitzschnelle enjoyed her freedom in front and cantered away for an easy victory. Sagrada chased her all the way and retained his second spot till the end. In a scramble for the third place, it was Jeyem’s Spirit who came charging from behind to beat Andina near the winning post. Sagrada should strip fitter after this effort and make it count in his next appearance.

Byramji had to wait till the last race of the afternoon to saddle his next winner. It was a seven furlong handicap reserved for horses five years old and over. Interestingly, the riders weren’t allowed the use of their whips. Those blessed with initial speed were at a clear advantage over the others. The top-weighted pair of Violent Storm and Wrekin had top class riders guiding their fortunes. John urged a speedy Wrekin to the front and tried to run away with this race. PS Chouhan and Violent Storm were in close attendance, while the others including the public choice Summer Sun, were seen languishing  at the back. Wrekin and Violent Storm fought a stirring duel in the straight. The winner was sighted close home. PS Chouhan managed to extract that little bit “extra” from Violent Storm , and pushed him vigorously across the wire. Wrekin and a late finishing Clueless managed to save place money for their connections.

Trainer Ganapathy finally managed to saddle a winner of a maiden’s event at Bangalore this year. After drawing a blank  with some well bred youngsters in winter, he was rewarded for his hard work when Bold Majesty trounced his opponents in The Southern Regent Trophy. Bold Majesty had the best credentials in this race, but once money began to flow in the direction of Spreadeagle and Astrum, the odds against the ultimate winner expanded swiftly. Spreadeagle tried front-running tactics and headed the eleven horse field at the bend. But his shortening strides enabled a number of runners to pass him thereafter. Under some strong guidance from Christopher, Bold Majesty appeared on the wide outside. His fluent strides enabled him to outpace his rivals. He bounced away to score easily from a late finishing Aralyn , Vivid Impression and a totally exhausted Spreadeagle. The one that impressed the most in this race was debutante Aralyn. The big made filly looked a bit soft in the parade ring, and she can be expected to improve after today’s experience. Aralyn will be too good to miss in her next start.

By winning both divisions of a class III sprint, apprentice Yash Narredu continued his good work in the saddle. The youngster is gaining in confidence, and considering the rate at which he seems to be going at the moment, the day is not far when he would complete riding ten winners and be allowed the use of a whip by the authorities. Taking today’s double into consideration, he has logged five points within  a short span of a fortnight. The youngster has a strong pair of hands and is blessed with a cool temperament. He used both these qualities to full advantage while riding Austin and Arta to comfortable victories. Austin was a joint favourite alongside Little Love. The latter played up in her gates while waiting for the race to commence. While Yash occupied an advantageous position astride Austin, Zarar Alam was seen urging Little Love to move forward. Rumour Has It brought the field into view and was at the helm of affairs in the straight. Under some strong pushing from the apprentice,  Arjun Mangalorkar’s Austin darted to the front and skipped clear of the pack. Rumour Has It retained her runner-up berth ahead of a late finishing Royal Rein. Little Love disappointed her fans with a below-par performance. It was reported subsequently that the filly had suffered an injury while prancing around in the starting gates.

Yash’s victory astride Suleiman Attaolahi’s Arta was equally impressive. Arta had won her last two starts in winter and was bidding to make it three-in-a-row on Saturday. The charts displayed on the TV screens confirmed that Arta’s body weight was seventeen kilos more than what she had weighed in her previous start. This somehow dissuaded a few to stay away from her, and the filly started as a relative outsider in this race. Albertino, Accuracy and Salzburg shared most of the support in the betting rings. The speedy Arta went to the front and stayed there till the very end. After Volcano and Smooth Glider got tired by chasing her till the bend, it was left to Albertino and Salzburg to make their respective bids. But, neither of them was able to go anywhere close to the leader. Salzburg moved into second place by overtaking Albertino in the final furlong.

Faraz Arshad’s Fioroloco carried the public purse to a fluent victory in a seven furlong handicap for those in the lowest category. A slipped saddle had cost his supporters a lot of money on the opening weekend of this season. They finally got an opportunity to recover a part of what they had lost on that occasion. The bookmakers were cautious while offering a short price on him, but his fine looks in the parade ring were enough for the punters to go “nap” on Fioroloco today. Srinath made use of his early speed and allowed him to go to the front. Even though Abba and Nations Glory tried to keep in touch with Fioroloco, the favourite was about four lengths ahead of them at the final bend. A breather given by Srinath to his mount at that stage  allowed Abba to get close to him. However, once the rider gave Fioroloco a couple taps, the race was over. He lengthened his strides and won by a widening margin from Abba and Nations Glory. The other nine in this race were literally plodding as they crossed the finishing line.