The dilemma is finally over. Caprese has proved herself to be an outstanding sprinter and her connections are sure to restrict her to the sprints from now on. Caprese was all along raced ambitiously over longer trips if only to see whether her class will carry her through in the Guineas. Not that she ran poor races over extended trips but her forte is her speed and finally the daughter of Burden of Proof will race only over trips where her outstanding qualities will be properly exploited. The decisive manner in which she spread-eagled the field in the Sprinters Trial Stakes last Friday stamps her out as the outstanding sprinter from this centre. The only horse realistically expected to challenge her is Bratz who was in the same predicament as Caprese but it has to be seen whether she will also make the switch from the mile to sprint without blunting her sharpness. Caprese won a sprint race at Mysore during August in splendid fashion and though trainer Jaggy Dhariwal and the connections had the inkling of what to expect from her, they persisted racing her over a mile where her speed was blunted and she did not live up to expectations. At the beginning of the winter season, Caprese had the beating of Holding Court over seven furlongs and later she confirmed her class getting the better of Hesperus in a thriller over an identical distance. Only four three-year olds in Bangalore enjoyed the rating of over 50 in August last year and they were Holding Court, Mystical, Caprese and Hesperus and all these four horses have proved to be extraordinary. Darius Byramji trained Iberian had more takers than Caprese to win the Sprinters Trial Stakes. Iberian had won all her outings in brilliant fashion and her win in the highest class where she won without being extended perhaps exaggerated her abilities as she had not taken on the likes of Caprese while winning. Though she was graduating into the highest bracket, Iberian was still expected to prove her mettle. Iberian led the field from the word `go’, with Caprese close in attendance, followed by Opera Queen and the rest. Caprese easily sailed past the front-runner in the final furlong and won decisively while Opera Queen finished on strongly snatching the runner up spot. Splendid Smith came up with a good stretch run to finish third ahead of Iberian. Caprese will now be a frontline contender for the Gr 1 Sprinters Cup which will be one of the highlights of the Invitation Cup weekend races to be held in the first week of March. The over dependence on the whip has been the undoing of many a jockey. Too much emphasis is made on the whip which is only an aid which may or may not help a horse perform better. Jockey Suraj Narredu who has been deprived the use of the whip, having been pulled up for excessive use of whip on four occasions during the season, nevertheless ended up with a fine double without the aid of the whip, proving that a determined jockey can overcome adversity with a strong mind. Suraj Narredu drove out First Tricks to her first ever win. The moody customer who had failed to oblige as a fancied runner many a times, this time out decided to put her best foot forward. Perhaps the change of stable from Dominic to Satish Narredu helped her break the jinx. Fancied runners in the race, Fantasy Moon and Elusive Fantasy, did not live up to expectations. There was inspired support for Shalivahana but ended up second best. The other winner for Suraj came in the 2000 metres race where he guided Darashah ward Kartikeri to a start to finish victory. Favourite Initiation chased the winner without hope while Rare Ivory was third. Approaching the final bend, Silva on Flightingale had a fall but fortunately, she escaped with minor bruises. Trainer Darius Byramji had a double through Pizazza and Nettor who both won their respective outings competently. Sunlaa made amends for last start failure with a decisive win while Exclaim continued to disappoint.