The third race-meeting of the monsoon racing season at Malakpet racecourse was not confined to the shining stars on the racetrack; it was a day when trainer KSV Prasad Raju reached the milestone of saddling 1000 winners during his career that spanned three decades. In hindsight, it appears that the down-to-earth but diligent professional had a notion that the landmark was within his reach, which could be the reason behind jockey Suraj Narredu being summoned to share the limelight. The three winners that helped Prasad Raju reach the magical figure were steered by Suraj, whose association with Prasad Raju goes back to 2004, when both professionals had just arrived on the big stage.

Team Indiarace congratulates trainer Prasad Raju on his memorable achievement.

Prasad Raju had certainly left nothing to chance and had his three successful contestants – Cherie Chevalier, Racing Ruler and Sangreal, well-prepared for the big occasion. No wonder, they were all on-money favourites and they expectedly trounced the opposition in their respective events. Cherie Chevalier let Newfound Glory enjoy the runaway lead as Suraj was in no hurry to make his move and brought him into contention only when the field reached the grand stand. Cherie Chevalier (Leitir Mor – Mauna Kea) pounced upon Newfound Glory just over a furlong before the winning line and faced no threat thereafter as he skipped away for an emphatic win in the PM Bokdawalla Memorial Cup (Div-I). Newfound Glory finished second ahead of second-in-demand Krystallos, who struggled to beat True Icon for the third spot.

A similar script played out when Racing Ruler raced handily behind Quality Warrior and Perfect Light, who disputed the lead in the initial stages of the mile trip for the Falaknuma Cup. Suraj gave Racing Ruler (Leitir Mor – Qawaafy) his head as soon as the field turned for the final run-in and the winner was sighted a long way away from home. Peppi was hard ridden to take the second position whilst Perfect Light and Take A Breath finished on to complete the judges’ frame.

Sangreal, who had a lung-opener in the upper class a week ago, stayed within striking distance of Indradhanush, Eminency and Dali’s Champion till they entered the home stretch before being asked for an effort by Suraj. Sangreal (Sanus Per Aquam – Sans Pareil) stretched out under pressure to take charge about a furlong and half away from the post and kicked on to fetch the much-awaited glory for her master. Eminency retained the second place while Blue Pantheress rallied late to snatch the third berth from Indradhanush.

Jockey K. Mukesh Kumar was in the spotlight before Prasad Raju grabbed it towards the end of the day. Prasad Raju-saddled Diablo, who was eyeing a quick encore and his fourth straight success, came across one better in Miss Smiley Angel in the PM Bokdawalla Memorial Cup (Div-II). Diablo set off from the barriers with the right intent as P. Sai Kumar took him to the front and looked poised for another win but bottom-weighted Miss Smiley Angel had other ideas. The G. Shashikanth-trainee lacked initial speed as she raced in the mid group till Diablo had brought the field into the straight from where Mukesh got busy astride the bay filly. Miss Smiley Angel (Dreamfield – Different League) made steady progress and stepped up the pace to narrow down Diablo’s lead and eventually tackled the favourite a hundred metres from the wire. Clara was prominent till the last furlong or so but failed to quicken and ended faraway to be third ahead of Clefairy.

Mukesh was at his best atop Ashoka, who was carrying an imposing 63kg on his back, and fought resolutely to keep favourite Lashka at bay in the Anab e Shahi Plate (Div-I). Ashoka raced on the haunches of Baisa as the nine-horse field jumped out from the stalls whilst Lashka was settled by Trevor Patel in the mid bunch but improved steadily to catch up with the leaders. Mukesh shifted gears approaching the two-furlong marker to slip into the lead as Baisa fell back. Trevor reacted swiftly in alerting Lashka, who ranged alongside and threw his gauntlet at Ashoka. Both horses fought a ding-dong duel and for a fleeting moment it seemed that Lashka would have the upper hand. However, Donald Netto-nursed Ashoka (Gusto – Epsilon Orionis) asserted both his versatility and class as he held on gallantly to his lead and defeated Lashka by a neck. NRI Superpower did not have the luck of the race as she got boxed between Ashoka and Lashka at the crucial juncture of the race and had to settle for the third spot. Silver Act ended way behind to be fourth.

Berrettini from A. Imran Khan’s yard, defied the top weight in the Hyderabad Plate to justify the cramped odds quoted against him in the six-horse field. Sopranos slipped into the lead shortly after the start only to surrender it to Proud Mary in the straight. The latter led briefly till P. Sai Kumar-piloted Berrettini (Be Safe – Swiss Eagle) loomed large on the outside and surged ahead. The favourite kicked on gamely and had the race sewn up before Reigning Beauty could play spoilsport with her late effort. Proud Mary took the third spot ahead of Maverick.

Hilton Sequeira led in a popular double through Divine Secret and Star of Night. The half-money favourite Divine Secret raced close on the heels of Tootsie Darling, who seized the initiative over the six-furlong journey, but ran out of fuel when the race came to a boil. BR Kumar-driven Divine Secret (Dali – Valle Secrete) faced no resistance as she overtook the leader at the two-furlong marker and sauntered home for her maiden victory. State Man was the runner-up whilst Tootsie Darling lost pace to be third ahead of debutant Equine Power, who warmed up late to his task and could relish an extended trip.

Star of Night was pitted against a seasoned lot in the Anab e Shahi Plate (Div-II) but the handicap advantage she enjoyed tilted the balance in her favour. Top-weighted High Command surprisingly headed the field and had Black Onyx, Shadow of the Moon and Siddharth in pursuit. Star of Night showed no early speed but improved well at every stage of the seven-furlong event to be in the reckoning at the bend. Apprentice Kuldeep Singh-partnered High Command was challenged strongly in the final furlong by Star of Night, who was ridden by apprentice Ajay Kumar. In the ensuing duel, Star of Night (Excellent Art – Romantic Star) was ridden confidently by the young lad as the filly wore down High Command in the shadow of the winning post. The latter was clearly done in by the weight he had to concede to his younger rival. Siddharth finished a tame third ahead of Black Onyx.

K. Satheesh-trained and Abhay Singh-ridden mare Classy Dame (Corporate Jungle – Yasmine) earned her corn-bill when she scored an upset win and narrow win over Fashion Icon in a race where there was no form to guide the punters. Federer deprived Top In Class the third place. Favourite Battle On ran hopelessly throughout and finished off the board.