The successful combination of jockey Chris Hayes and trainer Suleiman Attaolahi scored a superb double with Cavalry Charge and Camorra at the Bangalore races on Friday. The two of them have had a fairly good season, and with another month to go, find themselves in the first three positions of their respective professional tallies. Dr Vijay Mallya's colours have been extremely prominent in the last few months, and it would be fair to say that these two young men have contributed largely to this cause. One of the highlights of this campaign has been the performances of Cavalry Charge (Burden Of Proof – Catch Fire). The four-year-old started his seasonal campaign in Class III, and within a short span of time, graduated to Class I. He made a winning debut in the highest category on Friday, and while doing so, ran some good horses off their feet. By claming The Delhi Race Club Trophy, he won his third race this winter. On paper, he stood tall amongst a small group of eight acceptors. There were three things that separated him from the rest, and these were his young age, his low handicap and most importantly, his ability to handle the mile and a quarter. The others were conceding age and weight to him, and the fact that he was a master at setting his own pace, made Cavalry Charge a tough opponent. The bookmakers were apparently oblivious to these factors, and were happy to offer the juicy odds of 3/1 against him.

The race was run on expected lines. Cavalry Charge set a comfortable pace ahead of Blink, Topkapi and Oban, while the others were content to race in a single file till the very end. With none of the runners wanting to hustle him in front, Cavalry Charge enjoyed the freedom and raced well within himself till they turned for home. The only thing that had changed behind him was the disappearance of Blink. He shot his bolt while taking the rising ground near the three-furlong marker and faded from the scene. This allowed Topkapi and Oban to improve their positions. The race took a serious turn in the straight. Chris realized that the ones behind him were getting busy. He urged Cavalry Charge, gave him a couple of taps and asked him to "go". The response was almost immediate. The long-striding horse increased the tempo and sailed away from Topkapi and Oban. He won by a widening margin to announce his arrival in the highest Class.

The jockey adopted similar tactics astride Camorra (Brave Act - Camarioca). This was another colt from the yard who had disappointed after showing a lot of promise as a youngster. As his only victory had come more than a year ago, he was almost friendless today and was allowed to start as an outsider behind Gunpowder, Flame Back and Adonis. Camorra led from the start and was a few lengths clear of Adonis in the straight. Flame Back was noticed making his move from mid-division at this stage, and it was clear that the final outcome was restricted to the three of them. With both Camorra and Flame Back responding gamely to Chris Hayes and PS Chouhan respectively, the large number of racegoers present at the race course was treated to an exciting finish. Camorra held onto his slender advantage, and the luckless Flame Back had to settle once again for a minor placing. Adonis caved-in tamely to take the third spot.

Even though he failed astride Flame Back, PS Chouhan had plenty to celebrate as he had already scored a double with Vayuputra and Saratoga. He made full use of the whalebone while coaxing Vayuputra (Forest fair – Officers Choice) to go in chase of a runaway Give Me The Money in the day's opener. Dominic-trained Vayuputra got really strong in the final furlong and posted an authoritative victory. His job was made simpler by the fact that the favourite Leading Lady burst her blood vessels and finished off the frame. Golden Dixie made up acres of ground from the rear to finish third. The six-year-old looks capable of picking up a race for horses in his own age group before the end of this season.

PS Chouhan had to work harder on Saratoga (Inner City – cherry Blue), as he was taking-on the speedy Amiable Lady. The mare was looking to complete a hat-trick, but the handicapper had apparently got the better of her. She overtook Game Dancer at the bend and looked good in the final furlong. However, with the weights loaded in his favour, Saratoga started gaining on the leader and managed to wear her down in the last 50 metres. Both Suraj Narredu and Chouhan were flat-out till the winning post. Last outing winner Rubellite hung onto his third spot ahead of Refresh. The last-named was given a pathetic ride by Ashhad Asbar. The boy had this horse on a tight leash till the very end. Refresh was full of running and it may be a good idea to support him in his next start.

The only maiden's event today was run over seven furlongs. Ganapathy's Star Marquess (Intikhab–Mawaheb) was the public choice in this race. After impressing on debut, this colt had let down a large number of followers in his next start. After a nice rest and some solid preparation, he was entrusted to Mark Gallagher on Friday. The expanding odds against Hillstone confirmed that the second favourite was not at the games today. He ran listlessly and failed to save place money for his connections. On the other hand, Star Marquess chased Field Marshall and Waikato till the bend before making his move. He responded gamely to Gallagher's call and stormed ahead of Field Marshall. Now that Star Marquess has found his winning ways, it shall be interesting to watch him over longer trips in the future. Field Marshall is the one for your notebook, as he looks like a readymade winner in maiden's company.

Arjun Mangalorkar's highly regarded four-year-old filly Florida (Hurricane State-Allocate) started her racing career with an effortless victory over horses in the lowest class. Since she hadn't raced as a three-year-old, Florida was rated at 25. Her morning trials showed that she belonged to a much higher class, and she was supported by all and sundry. The on-money favourite darted out of the gates and won on a tight leash from Cool Whistle and Sachimore. Jockey John looked embarrassed at the ease with which she won today. He looked back repeatedly before easing her in the final furlong. The handicapper is expected to give her a stiff penalty, but the free-striding filly looks capable of making light of anything that she gets.

The other professional to score a brace during the afternoon was Irfan Ghatala. Sunstone (Razeen-Allosaki) had failed repeatedly this season, and had taken down a lot of money by flopping three times in a row. But this somehow did not diminish the confidence of his supporters, and they were seen backing him with gay abandon. The 6/4 favourite chased Six Gun Smith till the bend before cruising alongside. Suraj used his stick at that stage and asked Sunstone to quicken. The chestnut colt responded bravely and stormed ahead for an easy victory. Dance N Celebrate and Gluteus Maximus filled the rest of the frame. Irfan had to wait till the very end before scoring another point. A rare cloud burst delayed the start of the last race by almost half an hour. With the visibility being extremely poor, the runners were made to wait that long at the starting gates. Relishing the "wet" conditions, Irfan's Sundance Kid (Ontario-Sorceress) charged ahead in the straight to seal the issue. He won from Spark Of Knight and Chantilly Jewel. The fancied pair of Not Not Seven and Vayomi seemed to have got lost in the rain.