Trainer Bharath Singh’s Agnostic (Top Class-Kabini) floored the opposition in the five-and-half furlong sprint for the Skyexch Unleashed Cup at the RCTC on Wednesday. Squeezed out at the start between Barack and Sea Of Cortez, Agnostic was content to lie last of seven in the early part of the race. Gradually improving his mount’s position from the mid-way point, jockey Trevor took the turn on the wide outside. Finding Agnostic a trifle sluggish, Trevor resorted to the stick in the final furlong to urge the sprinter to raise a gallop – and boy, did he raise one- he simply left the field standing in the final 100 metres with Trevor riding him out hands and heels. Soaring High stole a march at the top of the straight but ultimately lost the runner-up berth to Sea Of Cortez by a whisker at the winning post.

Trainer Neil Darashah is slowly but surely getting into his stride. He notched up a good double during the warm afternoon with Sicily and Roudy. Sicily (Phoenix Tower-Koh Samui) with Imran Khan astride closed at 5/1 for The Stay In Shape Handicap as Nazaakat became the rage of the ring. However, Imran simply rode a regulation race on the handsome dark bay three-year-old gelding to get the better of the course favourite. Following pace-setter Oswald till the top of the straight, Sicily sailed ahead thereafter to ultimately win quite comfortably. The win brings him into contention for the Colts Trial Stakes at the end of September. The race was however marred by the fall of Chetan Gowda from El Patron – also a Darashah ward – at the start of the race. Gowda was admitted to the Woodlands nursing home where he is under observation.

Another Colts Trial hopeful, Roudy (Sanus Per Aquam – Super Class), was ridden with great confidence by apprentice JH Arul to land the Sweet Senorita Handicap. The short-priced colt won fairly comfortably from top-weight Immeasurable while the run of third placed Sonata is best ignored. After a tardy beginning, she was taken all over the track before ending up a tame third. She is bound to give a better account of herself in her next outing which may well be the Fillies Trial Stakes.  Hellblazer’s run was below expectation.

Another apprentice from the south who showed great composure was Angad atop totalisator favourite Properly Posh (Varenar-To The Manor Born) in the race for The Fairy Heights Handicap. After permitting the six-year-old mare to settle in fifth spot along the rails, he gathered her up nicely to make his bid in the final furlong and collar front-running Regency Gold with a degree of comfort. With this win, trainer Patrick Quinn has been successful with two gambles on the first two days of the season.

Trainer Daniel David’s Lightinthesky (Roderic O’Connor-Sail By Roos) made every post a winning one in the race for the Picture Perfect handicap – the day’s opener. Apprentice Rupal Singh had to stave off a strong challenge from the top-weight favourite Moon Art in the closing stages of the sprint. Likewise, Vikash Jaiswal’s Indian Tiger (David Livingston-Mullagh) was ridden with great gusto by jockey Sujit Kumar Paswan who made every post of the Skyexch Sprint Handicap a winning one. The sprinter held on well from Cape Tantaros and Essos.