Indiarace.com - india's first & foremost horse racing portal

DELPHINI LIFTS ACORN STAKES IN STYLE

By Epsom Ace | 19 Mar 2021 | KOLKATA


Trainer Aashay Doctor leading Delphini (C S Jodha Up), winner of The Acorn Stakes

Fabulous filly Delphini (Bated Breath-Performer) kept her date with destiny with a thumping four-length victory over Euphrates in the seven-furlong race for the Acorn Stakes. The Aashay Doctor – trained youngster was maintained in third slot by CS Jodha as Lady Laurane called the early shots with Euphrates along the rails. As heads turned for home, Jodha had to do precious little as Delphini moved on the outside of three runners to take over the running smoothly and win as she liked. The best of the rest was Euphrates who is likely to see the winning post in her next outing. After all, she is runner-up to Delphini in two sweepstakes races– the first one being the Alokananda Stakes two months ago. That speaks well of her and she will be a force to reckon with in any handicap event.

Jockey Hindu Singh was in his element on Friday afternoon as he notched up a lucrative treble with Silver Bracelet, Abhya Gama and Despacito.

The supporting event, The Mica Empress Cup, saw Vijay Singh-trained Abhya Gama (Multidimensional-Violet Honey) ridden cleverly by Hindu to land the spoils from the other two fancied runners – Perpetual Winning and Amorous White. The versatile gelding is known to be a miler but had sprinted to victory in the lower class (first-time-out) on December 5. He repeated that performance in the highest class with aplomb. The six-week hiatus may have given him the necessary impetus once again. Kudos to his mentor for a clever and calculated entry. Aged Amorous White was right there till the distance post but had no answer to the younger animal’s acceleration. 

Hindu opened his account with the 12/10 favourite Silver Bracelet (Win Legend-Silver Profile) in the seven-furlong race for the Serendine Handicap. Tracking front-running Barack till well into the straight, the Vijay Singh ward wore down the front-runner inside the distance. The runner-up, an import from western India, will be worth keeping an eye on. Hindu completed his treble with a facile victory in the last race of the day. James McKeown-trained Despacito (Letir Mor-Silent Crystal) made every post a winning one with the jockey easing up his mount hundred metres from home.

The afternoon commenced on a promising note for jockey Neeraj Rawal as he piloted Aashay Doctor-trained Intellection (Western Aristocrat-Alaric) to a thunderous triumph over Tia Queen in the mile race for the Aboline Handicap. In their previous outing, the pair had dead-heated for the runner-up berth behind Devine Chakra. On this day Intellection was a shade better at weights and Neeraj made the most of it by riding a brilliant waiting race.

The second race of the day, The Up Guards Handicap, saw the favourite Estrella Star and second favourite Daring Heart in poor light as they had to eat humble pie at the hands of seven-year-old Aapna Time Ayega (Sameer Khan up). The Daniel David ward caught the field (and indeed the punters too) by surprise as he galloped to glory down the centre with Sheer Force behind him. The favourite drifted out in the straight while Daring Heart once again failed to steer through traffic in the straight. Perhaps, she needs a smaller field to give her best.