A poor looking card of seven events was framed for Saturday’s action at Bangalore. With only a few day’s of racing left in the season, there has been a perceptible drop in the number of entries. The JB Mallaradhya Memorial Trophy, a mile handicap for horses rated 60 and above, was accorded the pride as the day’s feature. A number of older horses had accepted to run in this race. Suleiman Attaolahi’s Arrogant Approach and Rajesh Narredu’s Aumento were the only four year olds in this group of eight runners. Since Aumento was running after a known setback, this race appeared to be at the mercy of Arrogant Approach. Six year old Shaka Zulu had shown some form in his previous run by ending a game second behind Shivalik Fire. As he was running at a low weight in a higher group, there were many who gave him a chance of toppling the favourite. The eleven kilo weight difference between the two of them was considered to be crucial to the final outcome of this race. Since Arrogant Approach had lost as a favourite in his previous outing, there were some doubts about his ability to shoulder a heavy impost. But those who continued to repose faith in the chestnut were rewarded for their opinion. Arrogant Approach did everything right while going on to bag this trophy.

The eight runners took off to a level start. Top-weighted Treasure Mountain showed early intent and went ahead of Maddox, Shaka Zulu and Amazing Redd. Trevor had a tough time in settling Arrogant Approach in mid group, as the runners moved towards the far corner near the four furlong marker. Treasure Mountain upped the tempo and increased his lead to almost eight lengths , as they started to turn for home. The order at the back was still the same. Arrogant Approach was still traveling on tight reins at that stage. With an exhausted Treasure Mountain coming to a halt in the straight, the stage was set for those coming from the back. Imran Chisty put Shaka Zulu under pressure and tried to take control of the proceedings. However, his dominance was short-lived. Arrogant Approach loomed large on the wide outside, and was seen responding to Trevor’s urgings. He sped past a helpless Shaka Zulu and marched resolutely towards the winning post. Shaka Zulu and Amazing Redd took the minor berths on the result boards. The winner is a strong horse with loads of stamina. He is sure to make a mark over a galloping trip in the highest category.

Apprentice Yash Narredu was the lone professional to score a double on Saturday. After starting his Pune campaign on a winning note, the youngster met with an accident on Thursday. He was lucky to escape with minor injuries and was quick to return to the saddle. He had some good mounts in the seven event card  and was expected to do well with many of them. At the end of the day he was credited with two wins and two second placed finishes. He began with a shock victory astride Amit Caddy’s Kingston Town. This horse had won an earlier start in the lower category and was given a stiff penalty by the handicapper. He was unable to handle the double class promotion and ran unplaced behind Alfons De Borja during the Derby weekend. Incidentally, Yash had dropped his whip during the running of that race. Kingston Town was facing a number of three year olds in The Snow Dew Cup today. While Glittering , Alerio , Mystic Music and Go Green had won their previous starts and were competing with winning penalties, it was Schiavone who carried the confidence of the punters. She had raced against much superior horses at Bangalore and Mumbai, and was looking well in the paddock. Kingston Town did his usual front-running and set a good pace ahead of Ace Mesmerise ,Alerion and Schiavone. While the others got tired at the bend, it was left to Schiavone to chase the leader. Those who expected Kingston Town to slow down in the straight were in for a surprise. The dark bay kicked-on gamely and moved strongly towards the finishing line. Schiavone made up some ground in the final furlong, but at the end, the filly was forced to settle for the runner-up berth. The others were totally out of depth at this level.

Yash’s next winner was Anecdote. By her victory in maiden company a few weeks ago, Anecdote had served notice of her fine form and fitness. Trainer Dhariwal must be complimented for producing her in perfect condition in The Alekona Trophy  this afternoon. Since she was racing over a perfectly suited sprint, Anecdote was an obvious choice of the punters. The three kilos claimed by the apprentice enhanced her chances in this race. With money coming on bottom-weighted Mystical Shadow, the odds against Anecdote started to increase as we approached the start of this event. Anecdote darted to the front and led marginally from Candice and Mystical Shadow. They raced in close order for the first half of their journey and each one of them was traveling comfortably till that stage. The jockeys became more active in the straight. While Anecdote responded immediately to Yash Narredu’s whip, the others continued to plod at the back. The filly skipped away from Candice and Mystical Shadow. The last named took down a lot of money with her poor performance in this race. In my opinion, she would be better suited over a slightly longer trip.

The Squanderer Trophy, a seven furlong race for maiden three year olds, attracted some nice runners. Mumbai based horses like Fatal Attraction and Ad Astra were being opposed by local hopefuls like Hidden Soldier, Sagrada and Sunday Spotlight. A mere look at Neil Darashah’s Fatal Attraction in the parade ring was enough to realize that she was a worthy favourite in this race. Her winter form was quite imposing , and it was felt that it would take a very good opponent to beat her on Saturday. PS Chouhan took her to the front after a smart jump and never looked back thereafter. Ad Astra tracked Fatal Attraction till the final bend before getting tired. It was hereabouts that Sagrada improved from the back and moved ahead of her. But the front-runner continued her good work in front and won on tight reins from Sagrada and Ad Astra. The one that caught the eye with his movements in the final furlong was Hapticstar. This colt must be followed the day he runs over a seven furlong trip in open company. On the other hand, Fatal Attraction showed that she is destined for a much higher category.

On an afternoon when most races were won by fairly large margins, the one that posted the most impressive victory was Lokanath’s Mickey Mouse. This four year old had lost as a heavily backed favourite to Stimulate on Derby Day. He had shown a clear dislike for the heavy underfoot conditions that had prevailed on the said afternoon. After leading comfortably into the straight, he had slowed down in the final furlong. Mickey Mouse encountered a perfect racing surface on Saturday. His seven opponents included a strongly backed Artic Attraction and Stimulate. While he was better placed at the weights against Stimulate, there was no direct line between Mickey Mouse and Artic Attraction. The latter had won over a mile last month, and was re-appearing on a race track after a gap of five weeks. The first half of this race was dominated by Artic Attraction, Beauty Is Truth and Stimulate. They raced prominently till the bend and were closely huddled at the top of the straight. Rajesh Kumar and Mickey Mouse were tucked in behind them, and the pair was yet to make a move till that stage. Unable to find a clear passage through the pack, Mickey Mouse was pushed towards the inner rails. Seizing the gap comfortably, the blinkered runner went ahead of the rest. It was smooth sailing thereafter. His lengthening strides enabled Mickey Mouse to win by more than half a dozen lengths from Stimulate, Artic Attraction and a late rushing Absolute Red. The three placed runners were almost abreast at the wire.

Arjun Mangalorkar’s Mantra displayed a brilliant turn of foot while rallying brilliantly in the straight to win a class IV sprint on Saturday. He seems to have re-discovered the good form that he had shown as a three year old. In an open betting event, Mantra and Colour Of Gold were marginal favourites ahead of the other  contenders. In a really fast run race, Conrod took off like a scalded cat and led by many lengths from Colour Of Gold and Mantra. The others followed at regular intervals , as the twelve horse field entered the straight. Getting tired after his frantic efforts at the bend, Conrod surrendered the lead to Colour Of Gold. Yash Narredu pushed her forward and tried his best to keep her going. However, it was Mantra who gained ground on the leader. With John pushing him vigorously, Mantra came towards the inner rails and joined issue with Colour Of Gold. After a brief duel, Mantra moved ahead in the final furlong and scored by a widening margin from Colour Of Gold, Vigorous and Woodberg. With this victory in the bag, Mantra can be expected to move up the ladder. Colour Of Gold was the other impressive runner in this race. The filly handled the twenty three point penalty that she had received for an earlier victory with great maturity.

A scurry for horses in the lowest class was the only other race in the day’s card. There were a number of horses that were “fancied” in this event. Amit Caddy’s three year old Summer Sky had finished three runs in maiden company and was presently running at her own mark. The only reason why she was installed at the top of the betting charts was perhaps her good track work. In the company of mature stable-mates, she had been doing well on the outer sand. The presence of Yash Narredu in the saddle added added a certain hype to her chances. Thejaguar and Yourescintilating were the other two that were backed by their respective yards. After a level jump from the gates, it was Big Copper Penny who went ahead of the others. She utilized her early speed to skip away from Just In, Raaga, Summer Sky and Thejaguar. The runners began to spread out thereafter. With those behind her failing to make a mark, Big Copper Penny continued to gallop resolutely towards the winning post.  With TS Jodha continuing to wave his whip at her, the Inayathulla trainee continued to dominate the proceedings. It was abundantly clear in the straight , that she could not get caught today. The race thereafter was only for the minor berths. Thejaguar rallied late to beat Just In into third place. Yourescintilating and Summer Sky ran poorly and failed to save place money for their respective supporters.