The small six-event card framed on the eve of the Fillies Championship Stakes on Saturday failed to generate interest among the railbirds. The lack of entries each week at this premier racing centre defies logic. In fact the summer season started on a ominous note, only six events framed on the opening day and when the media posed a few questions to the mandarins of the club at a press conference a couple of days before the start of the season, the stewards including the BTC chairman Manjunath Ramesh responded gingerly, shielding the trainers and owners at this centre, pointing out that this is only the start and it only get better in the weeks ahead. 

Well nothing has changed and the same song continues to play. The decision makers of the club, it appears have joined in to play the chorus instead of cracking the whip on the offenders. It is a pity that BTC cannot frame a competitive card of atleast eight races on a day in summer and that puts the committee in poor light. It simply indicates that the men in-charge to put up a good show lack the tact to get all the members of the Karnataka Trainers Association (KTA) on the same page. The slip is showing and no effort is made to get the bull by its horns, rather it is the bull, who is continuing to bully the men at the helm. 

In the questionable small card, the plum event, the World Blood Donors Day Cup  run over a mile was claimed by the hot favourite Alamgir from Irfan Ghatala's yard. This incidentally was the only favourite to oblige the favourite punters. Leading saddle artiste Suraj Narredu pushed the public choice to the front the moment the six runners came under the starter's flag for the mile long trip and never let the initiative slip, packing punch on the Irfan ward to help him register his maiden success. The Karthik Ganapathy schooled Pristine Glory too had her fair share of supporters, but to their disappointment  the small-made chestnut filly found Alamgir too hot to handle and had to rest content with the runner-up berth. In heavy underfoot conditions following two sharp showers after the first race, Darrington, stablemate of the winner finished third ahead of Edmonton. 

The Sulaiman-trained Kalamitsi who ran Champions Way close last week, the Arjun Manglorkar schooled Ricardo who met a tartar in Imperial Blue in his last essay and Berrettini from the stables of Imran Khan, who pleased in a mock race topped the betting board in the Meydan Plate run over a sprint. Ricardo powerfully piloted by Trevor Patel settled the score with Imperial Blue, edging out the topweighted contestant by the shortest of margins. Kalamitsi and Berrettini much to the chagrin of their supporters performed below par, while the advantageously placed at the scales, Uchchaihshravas did well to take the third spot. 

Arjun Manglorkar earlier led in Ebotse who edged out the favourite Smile Of Beauty close home in the Sir Cecil Plate run over a sprint. Smile Of Beauty on the strength of her impressive showing in her last essay in a higher category was fancied most, but this Dominic trainee in her attempt to make every post a winning one in the hands of apprentice jockey Ramswarup failed to quicken at the all-important end and this provided  Ebotse and another five-kilo claimer Aleemuddin a chance to score and Ebotse and Aleemuddin in no mood to miss out on the opportunity raced through to enter the winners' circle. Augusto finished a game third, while The Strikingly from Joseph's yard, who won her last start by a widening margin of six lengths was never in the hunt, her pilot Sai Kiran content to race in the rear. 

In the four-horse field for the opening event, the Kranji Plate run over a distance of 2000 metres, three horses garnered equal support. The Prasanna-trained Refreshment, the Rajesh Narredu schooled Gold Empire and last start winner, albeit in lower class, Amazing Stride from the stables of Padmanabhan. Refreshment piloted by G Vivek proved too good romping home nice and easy by a comfortable margin of three lengths from the runner-up Amazing Stride, while Gold Empire could only finish a tame third ahead of Carat Love. Refreshment on the strength of this facile win is set to provide an encore. 

A smart last start winner, Don Carlos was rightly fancied most in the Justice P Medapa Memorial Trophy run over a sprint. The Chennai raider Densetsu from James McKeown's yard too was heavily backed, but he failed to make an impression and finished down the field. Don Carlos piloted by Trevor warmed up late and flashed past the post locked together with the 20 to one rank outsider Diablo from Prasad Raju's yard piloted in determined fashion by Sai Kumar. The `magic eye' nodded in favour of the Hyderabad challenger. Don Carlos, it must be mentioned would have gained the day in the next stride, but in this game it is that one final final stride which separates the winners from the losers and the `Don' was denied the 'Hafta' on this day. 

The Padmanabhan-trained El Rey started the favourite in the concluding event, the Royal Command Plate run over a sprint. Offered at (6/4) at the start, the price on El Rey kept going up and up and the topweighted runner surprisingly closed at (5/2), while the second in demand at the betting ring, Pole Star from Prasanna Kumar's yard was steady at (7/2). A good percentage of punters who smelt a rat and chose to get into the boat of Pole Star were well rewarded, the second favourite storming up and putting the race to bed a furlong from home while the rest struggled to match strides with the winner partnered by five-kilo claimer Darshan. Basilica finished on purposefully at end to gain the runner-up berth ahead of Sienna Princess, while El Rey at end failed to even save money in place.