An ordinary looking card of eight events was conducted on firm going at Bangalore on Friday. In the absence of a top class handicap or a "graded" event, The Talkad Trophy was accorded the pride of place as the day's feature. With the season drawing to an end next week, this sprint handicap for horses rated 20 to 45 attracted a small field of eight runners. Satish Narredu's Fame And Glory and Irfan Ghatala's Sunset Grill emerged as the fancied contenders. Both these four year olds were yet to score their maiden victories, but had given enough evidence of their good form and condition by consistently figuring on the result boards. Since Fame And Glory had led into the straight in his previous run, and had got beaten in the final furlong, his trainer decided to revert to sprinting. On the other hand, Sunset Grill was known to be a late finisher. In the hands of Paswan, the connections backed her down to second favouritism behind the former.

The race was run at a modest pace, with none of the runners actually wanting to go to the front. Both the fancied horses were held back in mid group, and were obviously being ridden for eventual speed. Unable to restrain him much longer, Suraj allowed Fame And Glory to put his neck in front and lead into the straight. Sunset Grill and Chantilly Jewel made their moves simultaneously, and the three of them began their charge towards the winning post. Fame And Glory lasted out to keep Sunset Grill at bay, while Chantilly Jewel had to settle for the third spot. Sunset Grill found the top weight a definite stopper. It may be a good idea for Irfan to race this small made filly at a low handicap in the higher class. She is in fine form and looks capable of picking up a race at the beginning of the Summer Season.

The upper division of a maidens event gave Suraj an opportunity to score his other point this afternoon. He was fortunate to ride the talented Show Time. Irfan had tuned this filly for a perfect debut, and she looked the part in the paddock. Running in a mock race a few days ago, Show Time had given a tough time to her highly regarded stablemate Tiberius. Based on that showing, as well as her subsequent track trials, Show Time was considered to be "unbeatable" in this set. She was backed at all prices and sent to the starting gates as a half-money favourite to win this race. She performed on expected lines and retired as an easy winner. Allowing Mark Gallagher and Mi Amor to lead on sufferance, Suraj was content to bide his time. The moment he allowed her to move forward, the race was over. She lengthened her strides and won with a measure of comfort. Cafe Del Monte appeared late on the scene to finish a good second. Mi Amor shortened her strides in the final furlong, and ultimately surrendered her third place to a late rushing Gun Salute.

The lower division of the same event was picked up by Dhariwal's Migrolino. He was the only one in this group to have shown some sort of a sparkle in an earlier start. Backed to the exclusion of his rivals, Migrolino was never off the bit while justifying his favouritism. He jumped smartly from the gates and won on a tight leash. PS Chouhan looked back repeatedly in the straight before allowing him to relax. Vega and Pole Position chased him till the final bend before calling it a day. Saganaki and Arc Angel made up a lot of ground from the rear to save place money for their respective connections. Nothing much should be read into these performances, as the quality of the field was quite modest.

The other noteworthy performance on Friday came from the Amit Caddy stable. The yard has found its rhythm in recent weeks and has been scoring with regularity. Jockey Valdir Desouza rode a couple of strong finishes astride Unchallenged and In The Zone to win in thrilling circumstances. Four year old Unchallenged engaged the favourite Another Voice in a stirring duel and the two of them raced alongside for most of the way. Some vigorous pushing near the winning post enabled Unchallenged to seize the initiative. In a bobbing of heads, Unchallenged beat Another Voice into second place. John tried to reverse the result in the Stewards Room, but it was all in vain. One look at the replay was enough to confirm that this was a frivolous objection. The objection was over-ruled in quick time, and the announced result was allowed to stand.

Seven year old In The Zone completed the double by nailing Brunetta near the finishing line. Only a neck separated the two runners. Enduring Speed ran another forward race to finish a close third. The rising odds against early morning favourite Dramatic Dancer gave a clear signal that this Mohd Khan trainee was not at the games today. The mare ran a pathetic race to finish in the ruck. The five year old looks well, and punters would be well advised to back Dramatic Dancer the day the "right money" comes on her.

Mountain Range, Arabian Gold and Magnomical were equally supported in a seven furlong race for maiden three year olds. It was amusing to see each one of them moving up and down on the betting boards. What looked like a tight affair before the start, turned out to be a fairly one-sided race on the turf. Arjun Mangalorkar's Mountain Range led from the start and managed to skip away in the straight. John judged the pace to a nicety and ensured that his mount was comfortable till the very end. Arabian Gold and Magnomical surrendered without a fight. They appeared to be pretty tired in the straight. It was left to Hill Rising to make a move in the final stages and finish an eye catching second. Hill Rising looks like a good type and it would be worth following her fortunes in the near future. The winner showed that he is blessed with stamina, and his trainer is bound to exploit this potential.

A big bombshell was dropped by Mohd Khan's Supreme Arch in a sprint for horses five years old and over in Class III. This horse ran exactly a week ago and his performance on that occasion had been absolutely pathetic. After starting as a first favourite, the odds against him had expanded on that day. He had run lethargically to finish many lengths behind the winner. Supreme Arch found renewed energy on Friday. He tracked the leaders into the straight and managed to collar them in the final furlong. Refresh and Amar Prem had no answers to his energetic onslaught. It would be interesting to know what Mohd Khan had managed to change in this horse within a span of six days.