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INTERSTELLAR SINKS TWEEDLE DEE IN A CLOSE CONTEST

By Epsom Ace | 01 Nov 2016 | KOLKATA


Mrs Neha Singh & trainer Manvendra Singh leading Interstellar (Hindu Singh Up), winner of The Bahrain Cup

Tuesday’s eight-event card provided the kind of entertainment that one would expect on the opening day of the winter season. Most of the professionals were keen to start the meet with a bang and as such, ‘form’ by and large held good. However, there was a question mark on the fitness of the animals racing on the track as two well-backed favourites bled through the nostrils and ended their efforts rather painfully with a whimper. Punters were thus denied a run for their money on those two occasions.

The seven-furlong race for The Bahrain Cup turned out to be quite a thriller with Manvendra Singh’s Interstellar and Bharath Singh’s Tweedle Dee going tooth and nail all the way down the straight. Apprentice Hindu Singh rode a gem of a finish atop Interstellar (Top Class-Eternal Spirit/ Mukteshwar Stud) to peg back the speedy colt close home. The early pace-setter Cocoanut was easily collared by Tweedle Dee and Dashrath at the top of the straight and the duo shot ahead from the favourite Dysnomia who tried her utmost but failed in her quest. It was left to the other three-year-old filly Interstellar to issue the challenge and ultimately prevail by a narrow verdict.

A quartet of professionals scored a brace each while champion trainer Vijay Singh commenced the season by notching up a facile win with the fashionably bred filly Sans Prix (China Visit – C’est Bon/ Usha Stud). Despite heavy-weight jockey S John declaring an over-weight of 1.5kg, the filly left the field cold in the seven-furlong race for the Right Ahead Handicap. The second favourite Aquitania was hardpressed to hold on to the runner-up berth.

Earlier in the day, John had ridden Vikash Jaiswal-trained War Games (Mull Of Kintyre-Lucina/ Sohna Stud) to a start-to-finish victory in the upper division of the Kabuki Handicap.  The heavily gambled top-weight drifted out under pressure in the straight but was always over a length head of Significant who was making her move on the outside.

Trainer Jaiswal completed his brace in the final event of the afternoon when the 6/1 shot Glory of Boss (Glory Of Dancer-Felicitad/ Kehelan Stud) vindicated the action of the Stipes (who held an enquiry after his previous essay as they felt the jockey had not permitted his mount to run on his merits). On this occasion, matured apprentice Akash Rajput quite easily got the better of the three-year-old favourite The Stradle who was relegated to the third spot by the much improved top-weight Auxilium.

Earlier in the afternoon, apprentice Rajput had guided Robert Gowli-trained Gimme Credit (Chevalier-Star Pride/ Ruia Stud) to a long overdue win. The second favourite had it easy once public fancy Aaron’s cried off in the straight after bursting her blood vessel. Frequent runner Annie Oakley continued to earn her oats. She is a speedy sort who needs to be at a winning mark to pull it off. By repeatedly placing second or third over sprints, she has failed to come down in weights and that has undoubtedly cost her a win. Such ‘handicap horses’ require meticulous planning and placement before making a ‘surgical strike’. Of course, if the connections are happy with her income from finishing repeatedly in the frame, then that’s another matter altogether.

Trainer Gowli had earlier led in the high-priced winner Uptown Girl (Stardan-Here She Comes/ Rolli Stud). The seven-furlong race surprisingly saw maiden starter Flamsteed installed as the 11/10 hot favourite. Perhaps, the presence of C. Alford on the top-weight may have boosted the punters’ confidence. The recently gelded runner burst his blood vessel midway through the race and ended up dead last. Uptown Girl was taken to the front a little after the start and ran away from this sub-mediocre Class V set of runners. The somewhat nervous Arman Khan did not want to lose the grip on the race and repeatedly whipped his mount even when he was well clear in the straight.

Two lesser names among the racing fraternity were among the winners. The first of them – Deepak Karki – was a little fortunate with his ward Sreeyantra (Hammerstein-Nasreen). The seven-year-old won the opening event, The Eagle Pines Handicap, by the proverbial whisker from Abercrombie. The favourite Celerino was a tame third under the whip.

The other lesser-followed schooler who fetched home the honours was  the promising Raunak Banerji. His Blaze To Glory (Rebuttal – Colour Me Pretty/ Hazara Stud) won the lower division of The Kabuki Handicap after a brief tussle with Zacara. The favourite Stephanie was a poor third. The light-framed filly did not respond to Dashrath’s whip and drifted out. Only when he put away the stick did she raise a gallop of sorts. Anil Bandaal atop the winner was a bundle of confidence as he drew away in the final furlong to register an impressive victory.