The Chief Minister’s Cup had a small field in contention but the suspense and thrill was right up there to the highest level. Who could have imagined a four-horse finish for the mile race that had seven contenders! It was a treat to watch such a pulsating finish with top jockeys displaying commendable skill and presence of mind which is what makes this sport so enthralling!

It was clear in the early stages of the race that the top four finishers were way superior to the three other runners, as the quartet held the forward positions right from the start. Wave Rider and favourite Corfe Castle were at the helm with Be Sure and Phenomenal Cruise not too far away. Like Wise and the others followed them all the way home.

Wave Rider accelerated well early in the straight to build on his lead but Corfe Castle and Be Sure were keeping up and not letting him get too far ahead. Be Sure looked more aggressive of the two and surely Corfe Castle would have been bogged down by the big difference in weight. Jockey Zervan astride Phenomenal Cruise showed quick reflexes and decisive intent when he went for the gap along the inside of Wave Rider and that instinctive move paid off. Phenomenal Cruise (Declaration of War – Firebird) who had shown tremendous burst of speed by coming from behind to win her last assignment, was at it again and this time produced an even better finishing thrust to collar the fighting trio. Once the Netto-trained mare got into flight mode, it was all over. Wave Rider fought on bravely but was beaten by the better horse on the day, although it appeared that Wave Rider was giving off his all and was a tad unlucky not to have gone all the way. Be Sure too put in a spirited performance and did well to stay ahead of Corfe Castle. Like Wise ended a fair fifth just a length off Corfe Castle.

Consigliori (Air Support – Caprese) saddled by Deshmukh, recorded his second win for the season and third overall. Setting off on a start to finish mission, Consigliori was clinical in his performance. He had a slender lead coming into the straight and had Havelock Cruise right alongside as they galloped past the distance post. Havelock Cruise came under pressure as Consigliori kicked on  and got even stronger in the final 100 meters and sped further ahead with gusto, increasing the margin to win by a comfortable length and three-quarters. Havelock Cruise did look close in the hunt but only for a brief while as failed to match-up in the last few strides. Nayadeep did well to stay in third from the fast finishing Gutsy Look.

Flamboyant Lady (Burden of Proof – Cesandri) showed immense maturity and remarkable improvement over her previous efforts while scoring an impressive maiden victory. Jockey A Sandesh aboard the K Sateesh trained filly played the perfect foil in the saddle. He got off to a quick start and was quick into the lead.

Flamboyant Lady looked well-oiled and was fluent in her gallop as she strode out majestically to steer clear of her rivals. Alliston was going all out after her, but found the winner too good. He just could not measure up to Flamboyant Lady as he saw her pull away in the final 100 meters and settled for the next best spot. Unstoppable showed a bit of spark in his finishing effort and can only improve on this run as he saved the place money ending just ahead of Angel Tesoro.

Mehrzad once again failed to sustain after compiling a big lead coming into the homestretch. Mehrzad had what looked like a commanding lead in the early half of the straight, but he weakened in the last 100 meters or so to squander away yet another chance. Tokyo Jam (Burden of Proof – Ciboney) picked up nicely in the final furlong with jockey Akshay Kumar urging the Sequeira trained filly, inching closer with every stride at the business end of the race. Tokyo Jam collard Mehrzad and sped away to score with ease in the end, notching up her maiden win with a blazing finishing run that equalled the turf record of 1:05:81 set by Dream Girl a couple of years back. Promiseofhappiness made a late dash to peg back Mehrzad for the runner up berth.

Baywatch Babe floored the followers of form and struck like the proverbial bolt from the blue. Having shown little form in her three runs this season, there were few takers even at 15 to 1 on the Prasad Raju trained filly.

She was fast at the start and furious at the finish while compiling a commendable start to finish victory, which was only her second in 19 starts. She galloped purposefully and led them into the straight with Running Fire looming large on the outside. Fancied Man Apart dislodged the rider in the back stretch. Fortunately, jockey Afroz Khan was unhurt.

Baywatch Babe had a fight on her hands as Running Fire was threatening to snatch her lead. Jockey P Sai Kumar rode his heart out and kept Baywatch Babe ahead all the way to confound the punters and carve out a hard-fought win. Running Fire will live to fight another day. Smarty finished on well to claim the place money.

Tootsie Roll (Chinese Whisper – Confluence) won the last race of the day warding off favourite Ashwa Raftar. Pentagon led them into the straight; Ashwa Raftar could not find the required speed to quicken. Tootsie Roll with apprentice Jitendra Singh in the saddle unleashed the L D’Silva ward from the wider out to come swooping down on the front runners and finished on with steam to score with a measure of comfort. Ashwa Raftar tried hard yet had no answer to his stable-mates final assault. News O’ Star saved the place money.