After drawing a blank on the first three days of the season, vastly experienced veteran trainer Bharath Singh delivered when it mattered most, winning the Calcutta  Colts Trial Stakes with his bay gelding Agnostic (Top Class-Kabini) at nourishing odds of 5/1 on Friday. 

“I had also trained his mother” said a delighted Bharath after the race. “Hindu Singh was tracking him and felt he was good enough to win. Also thank my owner Shantanu Sharma”.

For his part, Hindu let the hot favourite Jake call the shots till heads turned for home. Once he asked him for an effort, he left the field stranded. Eastwood finished fast to be runner-up.

Another veteran trainer SS Attaollahi cornered the glory in the Fillies Trial Stakes with his dark bay filly Scruples (Air Support – Schiavone). Jockey Trevor Patel had to put her into top gear in the straight to collar Delphini near home. Euphrates surprised most by finishing a good third.

The afternoon commenced with Neil Darashah’s Violin (Phoenix Tower-Nojoom) making a happy return to his favourite track after a long break. She had won the 1000 Guineas last year by getting the better of Silver Bracelet but had hardly raced after that. She was sitting pretty at the bottom of the Class II scale and won as she liked by nine long lengths. The handicapper took note of that and penalised her a whopping 8.5 kg for the victory, thus pushing her into the highest class. One dare says that she can win again nevertheless.

Trainer Harvinder Singh Bath has been fairly successful this brief monsoon meet with his small string of horses. Though a facile winner in the lower class, Ielani was no match for Bath’s Seasky (Sedgefield-Shining Force) who was given a flawless ride Sameer Khan. Letting Ielani collar Ahnika and lead into the straight, Seasky moved with raking strides to sail past the front-runner. Seasky was available at 7/1.

Yet another runner at high odds to get the better of a favourite was Daniel David’s six-year-old Saint Petersburg (Air Support-Sovetskaya)  in the Malpensa Cup. Young apprentice HM Akshay from the south rode a fine race, leaving nothing to chance as he allowed stablemate Areca Legend to show the way till into the straight where he took over the running. Public choice Silver Bracelet had all the chances but found the big striding bay gelding too much for her to handle. Tudor Hall ran on to occupy the runner-up berth. It was good to see Daniel David get among the winners. One hopes he will do it more often as he definitely has the “bloodline” and talent to perform. For old timers, the name David sparks of a sting of memories of the seventies and eighties when his father Haskell ruled the roost.

The curtain came down with trainer Vijay Singh’s Cletus (David Livingston-Fly Like The Wind) winning the Adabella Handicap after a brief tussle with Whispering Grass. Jockey Hindu Singh did the needful to ensure the 12/10 favourite gets the better of Whispering Grass.