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EVALDO WEARS SOUTH INDIA DERBY SASH

By Ikram Khan | 28 Jan 2022 | CHENNAI


Trainer Prasanna Kumar leading Evaldo (Akshay Kumar Up), winner of The Coromandel Gromor South India Derby Stakes (Gr.1)

What a week  it has turned out to be for the top saddle artiste Akshay Kumar. The top gun on Thursday produced a top draw effort on the Sulaiman Attaollahi - trained  Secret Of Life to  come out tops in the South India Oaks and next day, the champion produced another exemplary effort astride the Bengaluru challenger Evaldo to reign supreme in the Coromandel Gromor South India Derby. Two back to back classics victories in two days and that to in contrasting styles only confirms that Akshay Kumar is in the elite diamond league. Astride Secret Of Life, Akshay hit the front in the `Ladies Derby' and dictated the pace all through the mile-and-half classic journey before outwitting his rivals in the final furlong and guiding the fortunes of Evaldo, Akshay chose to grace the wrong end of field for most part of the Derby trip before he timed his final challenge to a nicety on the Prasanna Kumar ward. The two exemplary efforts provided an object lesson to the young hopefuls looking to make a mark on the big sstage.

In the blue riband on Friday, the two Bengaluru mainhopes, Evaldo and Kensington garnered the maximum support ahead of the two Mumbai challengers, Presidential and Botero  from the stables of champion trainer Pesi Shroff. The nohoper Trust Bond hit the front after the eight colts settled down to cross swords in the 2400 metres trip. The two Mumbai hopefuls, Botero and Presidential followed the leader ,while Akshay chose to play the waiting game, confident that the Derby trip is well within the compass of Evaldo and that the Prasanna ward will produce his best in the big fight. After Trust Bond shot his bolt at the top of the straight, Presidential piloted by Chouhan and Trevor Patel partnering Botero briefly headed the field while John got busy on the Arjun Manglorkar schooled  Kensington and Akshay nursed Evaldo into a striking position. At this juncture it promised to be a big battle before Evaldo and Akshay made it a no contest, the Prasanna ward sailing past his three main rivals in effortless style to wear the Derby sash. The racing buffs delighted with the performance of Evaldo and the saddle artistry of Akshay provided a standing ovation to the winning team. Presidential gained the runner-up berth ahead of Kensington, while Botero completed the classic frame. 

All credit to Prasanna for sending out Evaldo spot on and it must be mentioned that the champion has improved most after he went down fighting to Kensington over a mile in the Bangalore 2000 Guineas. Prasanna disclosed that he always knew that Evaldo will comfortably get the Derby trip and that he was the horse to beat. " After his effort in the 2000 Guineas at Bengaluru, I systematically prepared him with this blue riband in mind and  he peaked at the right time,' said Prasanna, who won the  Bangalore winter Derby and the Indian Derby at Mahalaxmi with War Hammer before the pandemic. The unassuming pro while lauding the effort of Akshay revealed that this Derby success he will cherish most since he struck it big for his friend K Manoj Kumar. 

Trainer Sulaiman Attaollahi  would love to take a piece of the Chennai track home. The leading pro who led in Angelico in the 1000 Guineas at this centre before he proudly posed with Secret Of Life, winner of the Oaks, struck it rich with Bellator, the game galloper upsetting the applecart of the public rage Cavallo Veloce, who surprisingly failed to display his true potential in the Dr MAM Ramaswamy Memorial Trophy run over a distance of seven furlongs. The favourite finished a tame third behind Victory Parade, while Bellator was standing tall at the podium. 

The James Mckeown schooled King Louis and Kay Star from the stables of Dr Anil Kumar garnered the maximum support in the Hyderabad Race Club Trophy. The latter on the strength of his consistent  impressive performances on the trial track closed firm favourite, while the bookmakers offered (3/1) on the McKeown youngster. Ashad Asbar astride Kay Star  seized the initiative 300 metres from home and looked good to register his maiden success before King Louis in the hands of Irish pro Shane Grey produced a sparkling gallop in the final furlong to emerge a good winner on debut. Still I Rise finished a suggestive third and it will not be long before this Dhruv Futnani ward will shed his maiden status. 

Ashad Asbar who lost out on Kay Star earlier scored on the lesser fancied Due Diligence in the RWITC Trophy. The winner, who had finished second behind Thunderclap in her last effort went one better snuffing out the challenge of Cotton Hall and Thunderclap in convincing fashion. The public choice Rays Of Sun despite Trevor Patel producing his best struggled to make a race of it and eventually failed to save place money. 

The upper division of the RCTC Trophy was claimed by the on-money favourite Santa Clara who proved too good for her nine rivals, winning without unduly extending herself in the hands of Chotu Singh Jodha. The winner from Adhirajsingh Jodha's yard is in fine nick and is set to provide an encore when saddled next. Protea did well to gain the runner-up berth ahead of Lady Solitaire who in her attempt to make every post a winning one lacked the gas in the tank to keep going in the final furlong and had to rest content with the third spot. 

Dazzling  Princess from P Krishna's yard and the B Suresh schooled Victory Walk piloted by Imran Khan were the two other winners who made a favourable impression while the short-priced public rage Arc De Triomphe after a ding-dong battle with Moonlight Sonata all the way down the straight managed to get his head in front on the last stride much to the relief of the big bettors who had made big investments on the Adhiraj ward, marking him as a banker in the nine-event Derby card.