Despite this victory against African Gold in the Rusi Patel Trophy recently, the career record of the Imtiaz Sait-schooled gelding Pride’s Prince counted for nothing when he clashed with four rivals in the RN Kanga Trophy on Sunday. Probably, the weight he was carrying may have led punters to look elsewhere. As an alternative, they pinned their hopes on not one but two horses—The Milenium Force and Chagall, who could prove Pride’s Prince’s nemesis. Sadly, this did not happen. The six-year-old chestnut, ably guided by Antony Raj, performed out of his skin to thwart The Milenium Force’s threat and prevailed by a neck.

Earlier, Shubankar embarked on his usual start-to-finish act even as El Greco played truant once again by missing the jump and losing considerable ground at the start. Shubankar led the field into the straight, followed by Chagall and Pride’s Prince who chose to bide his time in the third spot and had The Milenium Force in tow. Chagall, Pride’s Prince and The Milenium Force forged ahead as Shubankar tried to hang on in the final run-in but failed. Chagall led briefly as the fight entered the last furlong but was soon collared by Pride’s Prince and The Milenium Force. In the ensuing battle, Antony packed enough punch in his riding which enabled Pride’s Prince (Excellent Art – Polished Chrome) to ward off The Milenium Force and record his tenth success over the mile trip. Trevor Patel was once again left frustrated as the winning post continued to elude his mounts. Chagall ended third ahead of Shubankar. El Greco, who was a spent force after having been brushed up to join the pack, ended in the rut.

Following his dual success last Sunday, David Allan continued his excellent work in the saddle and secured another winning brace. However, his first success astride Menorca came against the run of play. Unlike Caviar Queen, who had lost narrowly on debut, Dallas Todywalla-trained Menorca made no impression in any of her four career starts, which explains why she was ignored in the betting ring whilst the latter attracted most of the wagering. Soleva, second in demand to Caviar Queen, was taken on a pillar-to-post mission by G. Vivek and had Snow Girl and Menorca in close attendance. Favourite Caviar Queen, meanwhile, languished at the wrong end of the field. After bringing the field into the home stretch, Vivek gave a couple of reminders to Soleva to keep her position as Menorca loomed large on the outside after Snow Girl failed to make headway.  When put into top gear by Allan, Menorca (Leitir Mor – Merletta) lengthened her stride to end Soleva’s dominance in the last hundred metres. Incredible Luck showed good improvement over his previous run to finish in the money ahead of Rogue. Caviar Queen was seen struggling all the way, giving no response to Antony’s urgings and finished a dismal sixth.

Trainer James McKeown finally had his first winner of the current season when favourite Akitania claimed the Indian Air Force Trophy in a start-to-finish dash. Akitania (Win Legend – Aquitaine) disputed the lead with Koeingsegg in the initial stages of the five-furlong scurry and skipped away in the straight when Allan spurred her home for a fluent victory. Viennoise finished runner-up while Jaisalmer ran third, a length and a half in front of House of Lords.

In the earlier event for maiden juveniles, the AFS Talyarkhan Salver, Lempika from Adhirajsingh Jodha’s stables produced an electrifying run in the straight to make a winning debut in the hands of Vivek. No-hoper Sabalenka sprinted ahead over the five-furlong trip with Absolute Emperor and favourite Ghost of Victory giving chase. Soon after the heads turned for home, Lempika started to devour ground with each stride and caught up with Absolute Emperor, who grabbed the lead from Sabalenka inside the last hundred metres. In her final surge, Lempika (Gleneagles – Chasing Gold) wore down the leader to hit the wire almost a length ahead of runner-up Funny Bunny, who veered out alarmingly in the straight and ended on the outer track. Absolute Emperor finished a length behind in the third spot while Shadai ran a tame fourth. Trevor-ridden Ghost of Victory cut a sorry figure, letting down a large following and failing to grace the finish.

Trevor finally brought an end to the misery of his admirers when he broke the jinx aboard Faisal Abbas-groomed mare Cinderella’s Dream. Second favourite Surrealist slipped into a slender lead over Eloquent and Magical Star as soon as the eight-horse field sorted itself at the start for the six-furlong contest for the Pradeep Vijayakar Plate. After lying in the mid-bunch till the field was well into the straight, Trevor brought Cinderella’s Dream into contention and drew parallel to Surrealist in the final furlong. Following a brief skirmish with the leader, Cinderella’s Dream (Surfrider – Cracklin’ Rosie) gained the upper hand and went on to oblige the punters. Surrealist, Medusa and Foujita, who travelled wide into the straight, finished in close order behind the winner.

Both Trevor and Abbas achieved a double when the heavily-backed favourite Amazing Ruler had his say in the JV Shukla – Ashwamitra Plate, the day’s concluding event. Trevor kept top-weighted Amazing Ruler in a striking position behind leaders Tyrannus, Densetsu, and Matisse till passing the two-furlong marker before making his presence felt. Amazing Ruler (Western Aristocrat – Sans Peur) moved resolutely thereafter to assume command and kicked on gamely to stave off multiple threats he faced towards the end of the seven-furlong journey. Shirsa came flying towards the end to take the second slot ahead of Matisse and Vincero, who finished close behind.

The five-year-old mare Yourmylove (formerly named Affluence), whose odds saw a negative trend in the betting arena, shed her maiden status at the age of five in the Narayandas J. Dave Plate. Trained by B. Prithviraj and ridden by R. Manish, a lesser-known jockey in Western India, Yourmylove did not have a smooth run in the rear where she raced initially. However, when the race came to a boil, Yourmylove (Win Legend – Fashion High) unleashed a flourishing run to challenge favourite Precioso and spurted well to wrap up the race. Precioso finished second, a head in front of Beyond Stars. Jetfire ended fourth.