Leading apprentice Rajesh rode some brilliant races on Friday, and ended the afternoon with a fine treble astride Camorra, Youre Chilubuli and Foswell. For someone who was licenced less than a year ago, this young man has matured to become a good rider. He had impressed all concerned in his first season at Mysore, and was identified along with Nausad Alam, as a potential "star" of the future. His riding, after being permitted the use of a whip, has shown further improvement. Rajesh made free use of the whalebone while scoring astride Camorra (Brave Act-Camarioca) in The Sandur Trophy, the feature in a long card of ten events framed for the day. The seven-furlong handicap for horses in Class II had attracted a talented bunch of horses, who amongst themselves, had won more than ten races in the last few months. The field included the Satish Narredu-trained Accurate, who was attempting to complete his fourth straight victory this season. However, the favourite in this race happened to be Gazaki. Darius Byramji had won two races with this filly before she was beaten on the post by Con Artiste. This race appeared to be tailor-made for her, as all her victories had been achieved over a similar trip. With almost equal support for Ice Mint, Gazaki, Accurate and Love Conquers All, this race wore an open look.

Despite his wide draw, Rajesh managed to hustle the speedy Camorra to the front and set a strong pace ahead of the others. He hugged the rails for most of the way and led comfortably into the straight. With the chasing pack led by Friendly Bond running out of steam in the final furlong, Camorra had a nice grip on this race. However, the horse began to slow down at this stage. This allowed Accurate and Crown Vision to move forward. Appu started urging Accurate and it seemed as though he would catch the leader. To the dismay of his supporters, Accurate began to drift out and finished on the edge of the track. Crown Vision and Gazaki moved late to join the issue, but their fight was only for the minor placings. Rajesh kept his cool and managed to steer Camorra across the wire. Less than two lengths separated the first four finishers in this race. But for the ground that Accurate lost by drifting out under pressure, the result could have been different.

Pradeep's Youre Chilubuli (Brave Hunter-Cheers Zone) had landed a successful gamble exactly a week ago. Even though the handicapper had given him a penalty of a full class, the connections were quite optimistic about his chances. The only thing that bothered them a bit was the extra furlong that he would have to travel today. Youre Chilubuli had never done this before. This runner started as a first favourite, but soon lost his position at the top of the betting boards to Puttanna's Pritvi. Pritvi was equally impressive while scoring in his previous start. An accident near the four-furlong marker saw Pritvi stumbling badly and parting company with jockey Sreekanth. Rajesh decided to use restraint while riding Youre Chilubuli, and chose to chase Mercutio for most of the way. He released his grip on this horse only when he turned for home. Youre Chilubuli darted forward and scampered away from the leader. Savvy Concept appeared late on the scene to end a faraway third.

Dhariwal's Foswell (Hurricane State-Follow The Star) was Rajesh's third winner. This is another horse who loves to pull at his reins and tear away in the early stages of a race. The boy did well to keep him covered in fourth place till they took the final bend. Foswell loved these tactics and came charging through the middle. He sailed past Sky Glider, Cool Whistle and Legend Reborn to score a popular victory. He can definitely win on promotion. The other one to impress in this race was Legend Reborn. Jockey Vivek gave him a timid ride, but for which, the result could have been totally different. Legend Reborn is in tremendous form, and must be noted for an early success in the Summer Season.

The other professional to score more than once today was Mark Gallagher. Both his victories, astride Forest Regent and Halo Of Reverence, were scored with equal ease. Forest Regent (Placerville-Saffron Dancer) snuffed the challenge of half-money favourite Hillingdon with utter disdain. Hillingdon came into this race with a huge reputation. Some said that he was a top class horse while others went to the extent of comparing him with Sun Kingdom. In the end, he performed like an ordinary debutant and finished late to take the second spot. Forest Regent led from the start and accelerated nicely in the straight. Gallagher pushed him vigorously and the compactly built colt responded gamely to win by a widening margin. He is well bred and has a bright future. Halo Of Reverence (Tirol-Gorgeous Princess) was running in a mile race for horses in Class V. With the favourite Sukanti losing a lot of ground at the start, Halo Of Reverence's job was made easier. After holding her back in the back-stretch, the filly was given her head near the bend. She bolted away from Burning Ambitions and Segomo to score a bloodless victory.

Padmanabhan's Chemin De Fer (Placerville-Queen Ernest) was the most impressive winner in the day's card. Running in the top division of the maidens event, the well-built filly looked a picture in the parade ring and performed accordingly. Neeraj Rawal allowed Rappadan Glory to lead on sufferance and cantered alongside as the runners straightened for home. The moment Chemin De Fer went into the lead, the race was over. Her lengthening strides enabled her to win by a street from Hillstone, Final Countdown and a totally exhausted Rappadan Glory. Chemin De Fer has the makings of a top-class filly and it will be interesting to note her progress in the coming months.

The bottom division of this event went to Samar Singh's Royal Fortune (Itaquere Power-Jesse Ann). Running against a set of modest performers, she was considered to be a frontline contender. A late surge of betting on Brownie saw the odds doubling against the Samar Singh filly. Ramandeep Bal rode her confidently and brought her wide into the straight. She swept past a bunch of tired horses, and opened up a huge gap as the runners entered the final furlong. Brownie made a belated effort from the back but was unable to go near the leader. A disinterested Celtic Warrior pulled his rider into third place.

The two divisions of The Vijayanagar Trophy, a sprint for horses in Class III, saw a couple of firm favourites romping home to easy victories. Satish Narredu's Swift Star (Placerville-Native Tactics) was unlucky in his last start when rookie Shahbuddin had lost his stirrups after jumping out from the gates. This top-weighted favourite was entrusted to Appu today. Swift Star took a good jump and dragged Appu to the front. The veteran rider had a tough time controlling his mount, and the pair of them led into the straight. A couple of taps with the whip saw Swift Star increasing the margin of his victory. Recharged came late on the scene to take the second spot ahead of Don Diego and Citrali.

Arjun Mangalorkar's Florida (Hurricane State-Allocate) had run only once in her career. She had made a successful debut last month while being rated at 25, and had run away from group of horses in the lowest class at this centre. The filly had received a hefty penalty and was now rated at 48. Not many horses at Bangalore have been able to do what Florida did today. She not only defied the handicapper, but did it in style. In the hands of C Alford, Florida charged out of the gates and kept increasing her momentum. Her long strides enabled her to win by a widening margin of five lengths. Florida has further scope for improvement, and in her present form, looks capable of scoring again on promotion. Mystic Dawn and Dance To The Tune appeared late on the scene to take the minor placings on the result boards.