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Raptor Force Scores A Runaway Victory

By Pearcey | 02 Sep 2010 | MYSORE


Mrs. Lakshmi Dinesh presenting The Datta Jewellers Gold Cup

Jockey PS Chouhan was in his elements on Thursday, when he completed a back-to-back double with Ice Mint and Raptor Force in a long card of nine races at Mysore. It was another afternoon of upsets at this centre, when for the second time in as many weeks, the combined jackpot pool remained unsolved. Apprentice boys made their mark once again by winning a third of the day's races, and the dividends on a couple of them were close to 50/1.

While Prabhakaran scored his maiden success, apprentice Nausad Alam continued to impress with his balance and imagination. He is alert at the gates and this somehow enables him to take an advantageous position in the early stages of a race. At the rate he is going, it may not be long before his master allows him the use of a whip. The Datta Jewellers Gold Cup happened to be the day's feature. Seven modest contenders lined up at the nine-furlong pole to face the starter. Neil Darashah-trained Native Talent was an obvious favourite in this race. Apart from being the only four year-old in this group, he was the best-performed.

The presence of Suraj Narredu in the saddle was an added advantage. He was known to be comfortable over this gruelling trip, and most patrons expected him to carry the lowest handicap to a comfortable victory. Although top-weighted Raptor Force had raced against some better class handicappers, his current form was poor. He had failed to figure on the board in his only start during the past six months. However, the race itself turned out to be a one-horse affair.

Under the capable and forceful handling of PS Chouhan, Raptor Force ran brilliantly for his new master Bipin Salvi. He clocked in more than six lengths clear of Native Talent and Talk Of The Devil. The favourite ran a lethargic race and it may be prudent to leave him alone from a betting perspective for the remainder of this season. PS Chouhan had won the previous race with Sharat Kumar's Ice Mint. This favourite had the credentials to score, as he had figured prominently in both his starts during the Summer Season.

The four year-old had been unfortunate to have lost in a close finish to A Move To Remember at Bangalore. It was his slow jump at the gates which had cost him the race on that day. There were no such problems today, as he raced prominently for most of the way. He won comfortably from the Mysore-based Alejandros and Snow Peaks. The winning margin of a little over three lengths did not signal the ease with which he won today.

Trainer Sharat Kumar was another professional to score a double. He finally won a race with the much-hyped Rubellite. This horse had been fancied on numerous occasions, but was still a maiden. Rubellite was definitely lucky to have won in one of the closest finishes of the day. He came charging to get the better of Mercutio and African Sky near the winning post. Jockey Rajesh Babu helped Sharat Kumar lead in this winner. The MK Srinivas Trophy, a Class III event over seven furlongs, produced a couple of shocking results. In the upper division, unheralded Super Sha produced a brilliant turn of foot to get the better of Always For You and Kapathos.

S Ramesh rode one of his rare winners. The lower division gave apprentice Mubarak an opportunity to knock the stuffings out of the jackpot pool hunters. Trainer Natraj's decision to claim this allowance was amply rewarded. The rank outsider Worth A Gold did not miss the "whip”, and seemed to relish the weight off his back. The withdrawal of strongly fancied Free Spirit made his task much easier. The credit for saddling the only other double for the afternoon went to Neil Darashah. The trainer had only three runners during the afternoon. The loss of Native Talent in the day's feature was partially compensated by the victories of One Cool Cat and Flame Back. While the former added to the discomfort of the punters, it was the latter which sent them home on a slightly happier note. One Cool Cat helped apprentice Prabhakaran score for the first time in his career.

The fancied pair of Another Voice and King's Admiral had no answers to the onslaught of this winner. The concluding event of the day saw Flame Back justifying favouritism by beating a luckless Inspirator into second place. The latter may win an eleven hundred-metre race later in the season. The rest of the runners were literally outpaced.