Southern Regent destroyed the opposition exactly the way Storm Again had done when the Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup was held four-years ago at the very same venue. The manner in which Southern Regent was cruising at the final bend was suggestive of the shape of things to come. The all India record timing of two minutes 28.01 seconds was in the fitness of things. Basking in the glory were the trio of Dr M A M Ramaswamy, trainer Ganapathy and jockey B Prakash who completed a dream week-end with a spectacular quest. Truly Ganapathy has established himself as the star on the horizon within three years of getting his license as a trainer and jockey Prakash too has been equal to the task. Dr M A M Ramaswamy basked in the limelight as the Chairman of the Madras Race Club which organized the Invitation Weekend in splendid style and then for winning almost everything in sight. The event was also epoch-making for several reasons. The members of the club contributed as much as Rs 75 lakh towards the kitty which is unprecedented in the history of Indian racing! The organization was meticulous and there was a large screen in front of the Grand Stand, the first of its kind, for the benefit of the race goers. The action was spectacular and the scenery literally breath-taking! As the runners were traversing the distance, they were leaving behind a trail of dust, making many believe that Chennai was hit this time by dust storm! It was not dust storm but the storm of the Ramaswamy brigade indeed! One expected Venus Arising who had fared poorly in the Indian Derby to put up a semblance of a fight to Southern Regent. But the daughter of Steinbeck put up a pathetic show, beaten well before the final bend to finish dismally. Trainer C D Katrak has been known for his results only in his home centre but outside of Mumbai and Pune, he has invariably drawn a blank. His record continues to be dismal. Even Frida Kahlo who had finished second best in the Indian Derby failed to put up a worthwhile show so much so that one was hard pressed to spot them! Kolkata challenger Aperitivo performed above expectations finishing second ahead of Elite Zone while Full Speed, the Mysore Derby winner appeared to have been consumed by the dust. Be that as it may, Ministrel Heights took over the assigned job of being a pacemaker to a battery of runners from his stable as the starter dispatched the field for the 2400 metres trip. Friendly Fire, Aperitivo, Southern Regent, Andreyan, Elite Zone and Forever Elegance raced in close proximity while the rest were in the rear bunch along with Randsberg who stumbled at the start and trailed the field. Approaching the final bend, Friendly Fire and Aperitivo went ahead of Ministrel Heights but it was clear at this stage that Southern Regent would bolt away the moment he got the signal from his pilot Prakash. Once asked for an effort, Southern Regent quickened away from the field and left the rest stranded to win in great style from Aperitivo and Elite Zone. Andreyan who was stuck along the rails and failed to get a clear run, was fourth ahead of Forever Elegance and Randsberg. Like Storm Again who had won this event after his win in the Indian Derby in a record timing, Southern Regent emulated him in similar fashion, with a record to boot. Jockey B Prakash said that he was extremely confident that his horse would emerge victorious. Asked why he kept his horse well in touch with the front-runners and not come from behind like he had had done in the Indian Derby and whether he feared the dust storm, Prakash said: ``The track was not a deterrent for me to even come from behind and win but since the threats were in front, I chose to be with the front group. I had no apprehensions whatsoever about winning.’’ Prakash thus completed a grand treble of Grade I race success over the Invitation Cup weekend races and matched the feat of Chris Lemaire who had won three Grade I races in Bangalore two years ago. One is not sure whether any trainer, other than Ganapathy winning three Grade 1 races in the Invitation Cup weekend races. It has been a glorious 2005 for Ganapathy who had won the Gr 1 Golconda Derby, the Gr 1 Bangalore Derby and the Gr 1 Indian Derby within the space of 10 days starting from January 26. Dr Ramaswamy who has 421 wins in classic races thus far, said that there was no hard luck story for anybody and the best horse won. Spectacular Quest, who had suffered a setback after his splendid showing during the Bangalore Summer Season, was nursed back to superb fitness by Ganapathy to strike it rich in the Gr 1 Maj P K Mehra Super Mile, the supporting event of the day. Spectacular Quest slipped through the rails on turning for home and sailed past Berlioz to emerge a decisive winner. Leo D’Silva trained Coral Gables came up with a spirited challenge to take the second spot ahead of Berlioz. A similar effort from him on the previous day had seen him run Blue Horizon perilously close in the Sprinters Cup.