The Gr. 1 Sprinters Cup which will be the first of four Gr. 1 races programmed for the Indian Turf Invitation Cup weekend racing carnival will be run on Saturday. The Sprinters Cup has its own fascination if only because speed thrills. Unpredictable twists and turns has been a feature of this race. The Sprinters Cup has more often than not proved to be graveyard of favourites and the best of the horses in fray has not always won this event. On the last occasion that the Sprinters Cup was held in Bangalore four-years ago, Palazzio carried an aura of invincibility about her but she lost by a whisker to rank outsider Strengthtostrength. However, this year’s race does not have any one of the runners enjoying a clear advantage and the runners are more or less evenly matched and as such, the event is looked forward to with excited anticipation. The Bangalore Race Track, with its peculiarities, the steep gradient starting from around the 700 metres which requires the horses to climb about 38 feet up to the winning post, has often put a premium on a horse’s peak fitness and as such, one has seen horses capable of getting the extra furlong, doing better. Starting from Fun of the Fayre to Strengthtostrength, the winners haven’t been pure sprinters and had shown their versatility over extended trips as well. It is on this count that Darius Byramji trained Hesperus and Jaggy Dhariwal schooled Caprese enjoy an advantage over the rest. Mumbai challenger Oyster Cove has been a fantastic performer without being spectacular and he looked fallible on each of the last three occasions he ran and won at Mumbai. Oyster Cove has defied the handicap and expectations in the manner of a top class horse and the son of Royal Kingdom has been a veritable goldmine for his connections. He is a lovely horse who has plenty of guts. His trainer Shiraz Sunderji, who has done a wonderful job of keeping him going, feels that his ward should acquit himself well, the only worrying factor being the horse getting acclimatized to local conditions. Horses coming from Mumbai have a slight disadvantage when they race in Bangalore because of the altitude. ``Oyster Cove will have no problems with whatever the pace of the race as he settles well and has the ability to come from behind,’’ said Sunderji. The son of Brave Hunter, Hesperus has been one of the top class performers though he has not always been lucky. Hesperus is a fighter and though he has raced over a mile despite his stamina limitations, he has never given up without stiff resistance. On the last occasion that he raced, he lost by a whisker to Caprese over seven furlongs but he is better placed in scales vis-à-vis that run. Hesperus enjoyed a rating of over 50 at the end of the Bangalore Summer Season along with Holding Court and Mystical and this in itself, qualifies him to run as a frontline contender. He has the speed and the requisite qualities to emerge as the fastest horse in the country if only he is blessed with that all elusive quality called luck which has deserted him more often than not. He starts with a disadvantage in that he is drawn 13 which pose a problem but then to be the best, one has to overcome all the disadvantages and Hesperus should not be wanting in these qualities. Caprese has been one of the top performers at this centre, enjoying an aura of invincibility whenever she raced over trips up to seven furlongs. The daughter of Burden of Proof had the beating of champion horse Holding Court in her first outing this season over seven furlongs and barring a below par performance over a mile, she has not put a step wrong. Caprese has everything going for her and jockey Mark Gallagher who pilots her, exuded confidence by saying that things have fallen in place for the filly and she is peaking at the right time. Narayan Rao trained Onnu Onnu Onnu from Hyderabad has won over 20 races and the last four on the trot, in splendid fashion. The Hyderabad contingent believes that the son of Young Senor is in splendid nick and he will be hard to toss. Onnu Onnu Onnu had it easy at his home centre but the opposition this time out is sure to test him to the hilt. Five-year old Spectacular Quest ran a suggestive race over a sprint in his last essay at Mumbai. Though the trip is sharp, there is no denying his undoubted class. Kolkata challenger Romantic Fire has been nursed into superb condition despite a plethora of problems faced by him and he won in an all-India record timing of one minute 9.65 seconds on a fast track back home. Star Zagora heads the lead of horses which belonging to the category of the brigade capable of winning against the run of expectations. The Sprinters Cup has this habit of throwing nasty surprises and upsets are part and parcel of this exciting race and form has quite often being a victim to the vagaries of the race.