Puttanna trained Taurian was the best placed horse in the Sprinters Trial Stakes as the terms of the race suited him fine. He was in receipt of weight from horses he would have been conceding weight otherwise had it been a handicap race. It came as no surprise when he won the terms race on Friday, with a great deal of ease. Slanka who was running after a long lay off was a creditable second but the noteworthy performance came from Padmanabhan’s Fly The Fury who was an impressive third despite having to concede weight to all her adversaries. The four-year old daughter of Diffident was not disgraced in defeat and should be a live force in the Gr 1 Sprinters Cup at Chennai if she gets a nomination because she would be receiving chunks of weight from her two conquerors and their ilk. The fact that it was difficult to pinpoint who could be the possible winner was reflected in the odds offered by the bookmakers’ ring which clearly suggested of the competitive quality of the race. Fly The Fury was still the favourite because the filly hadn’t lost over a sprint and all her wins were achieved so emphatically that despite the terms of the race totally going against her, she had her supporters because being unbeaten, her depth was not completely known. She put up a great show, taking charge inside the final furlong but surrendering the initiative close home to more seasoned and older opponents. With quite a few horses having done well over sprint, it remains to be seen as to which of the horses will receive nomination from this centre. The seven-year old Rambus, who has returned to India after an unsuccessful sojourn at Singapore, bolted to the front as the starter dispatched the field for the six furlong trip with Fly The Fury a handy second or third, followed by the rest in close proximity. Rounding the final bend, Fly The Fury moved fluently to surge ahead of Rambus who tired out, possibly needing more groundwork to regain his old fitness, but the favourite found her challengers charging at her. Slanka went ahead only to be overhauled by Taurian who has really traveled a long way since the controversial winless year that he had two years ago. Supreme Power finished with a flourish to take the fourth spot. Saratoga Sizzle ran below expectations while Laguna Blue was unable to exploit his handicap advantage. Crown Royal was expected to battle it out with Starzaan for honors in the 1400 metres Hurricane Stud Plate but he found an unexpected and tough opponent in All Famiglia who refused to give up. All Famiglia has had a chequered career and his two runs have been dissimilar and his performance certainly came as a surprise. Jockey Appu had to drive out Crown Royal to have the measure of the front-runner in the shadow of the post. Starzaan who had the benefit of two mock races was given a good test ride and his finishing burst augurs well for the target that his connections may chose. Trainer Zareer Darashah, who is going through a lean patch, had a rewarding day, saddling two winners at lucrative odds. Winfoot proved too good for the opposition in the 1400 metres Sangam Cup, with a spirited run in the final furlong. Kaliyug Raja ran on without hope to finish second ahead of Sven and Wafadar. Sven was an impressive third despite lack of adequate support from the saddle. Favourite Zooming was a lost cause well before the runners took the final bend. Darashah’s other winner came through Bravo Bedford who established a decisive lead inside the final 250 metres and won quite competently from First Trick. Spring Fest who had blazed the track did not reproduce the same and was fourth while fancied Theodora ran a disappointing race. Theodora appears to be run of the mill. Arjun Mangalorkar’s The Zamindar, who had proved to be controversial for his failures as a favourite, came good in the 1800 metres Davangere Plate, getting the better of Triple Treasure and Strombolix with a powerful run in the closing stages of the races. Grace And Faith who had been steadily prepared for a touch, obliged though she had to face stiff resistance froe Continental Pearl. Allectus finally came good after a few expensive failures, winning the concluding race of the day. Srinath had to drive out the favourite to contain the challenge of Syrian Spice and Way To Wealth. In the day’s other action, Nuncio left the field for dead to win as he pleased as he got the right kind of support by everyone concerned.