Trainer Pradeep Annaiah deserves credit for keeping the form of Amatol going. The son of Tirol had the distinction of being the first horse during the on-going winter season to record a hat-trick when he made a smooth transition into the highest class with a gutsy win over Gaslight in the 1200 metres F K Irani Memorial Cup which featured Saturday’s races. The fact that Amatol just does that bit to win is what has enabled him to keep his winning streak because the penalty for each win has always been considerably less than what would have been otherwise. His win on Saturday was again by a neck over a late-finishing Gaslight, with Taurian finishing a close third. Amatol and Gaslight who were at the bottom of the scales enjoyed strong support in the ring, with the punters inclined more towards the former. Unlike in the past, jockey Prithviraj was able to maneuver a handy position as Ciraja set a fast pace. Taurian who had somewhat of a disturbed passage early on was the first to come into strong contention on turning for home but Amatol gradually wore down the challenge of the more seasoned campaigner and then held on grimly even as Gaslight picked up momentum to come perilously close. The distinguishing feature of Amatol’s wins has been his ability to quicken even from difficult positions as also his fighting quality. The frustrating wait was over trainer G Nityanand who finally recorded his maiden success as a trainer in Bangalore through Roda Rosen who swamped the opposition in the Bellary Plate (Div I). Grey Hawk was backed spiritedly but the grey filly lost all her chances at the gate itself. Lyricist led the field into the straight but Roda Rosen put paid to her hopes as he swooped on the front runner with a big run and stretched away for a splendid win. It was great relief for Nityanand as he had been unlucky on a number of occasions. In the lower division of the race, Loknath’s Pocketful recorded an encore. Pocketful seized the initiative at the top of the straight and won comfortably though the finishing burst of Sneak Preview may have given the impression that the win was achieved with a degree of difficulty. Crow Wood was one of those horses that have taken an eternity to resume his winning ways. The Darashah ward finally obliged, winning at lucrative odds. Favourite Red Mamma was strangely kept far too behind to make an impression on the first runners and it was stablemate Strombolix who shaped to cause an upset. It is difficult to fathom why Silva rides the way she does but since this finds acceptance with the Stewards and her owners, though it causes frustration and agony to the race goers, one has to put up with these eccentricities. Samar Singh broke the jinx of having not won a race this season as Initiation who had let down a few times as a fancied runner, picked up great momentum close home and won with comfort from Be A Honey. Favourite San Gimmiano had all the chances but lacked the steam to be more effective. Mohan Valavi had a long priced winner through Ondhu Ondhu Ondhu who just about lasted out to win from Argentum Blue. Red Fort was the betting rage but the Dominic ward, after hitting the front at the top of the straight, packed up with a trace. In the day’s other action, Narredu’s Steed Back won the Ashoka Chakra Cup, a race for maiden three-year olds, by a whisker from Indian Shining who did not get the required assistance to halt the winning march of the front-runner.