A huge thundershower after the third race on Saturday afternoon rendered the Bangalore race track unfit for racing. What started as a steady drizzle prior to the earlier race, began to intensify with the passage of time. At one point, the visibility was so poor that it was difficult to see the cars parked opposite the grandstands. The track got soaked and there were large puddles of water all over the place.

Half an hour after the stoppage of rain, the Chief Stipe went round the course and gave his report to the Stewards. He felt that racing could be resumed after another 45 minutes. The altered timing for the next race was fixed, and an announcement confirming this arrangement was heard in race clubs across the country. Bangalore city has been experiencing monsoon showers over the last couple of weeks.

The penetrometer reading at the start of the day was 5. The track was slower by almost five seconds, and this was reflected in the timings of the first three races of the day. The soft nature of the track saw horses getting tired in the straight, and most of them were stopping soon after passing the winning post. The additional rain had compounded matters.

The jockeys feared for their safety and were quick to express their reluctance to ride. After a lengthy discussion with the authorities, it was agreed that one of the jockeys would take a horse round the course to test the underfoot conditions. The man chosen to do this job was PS Chouhan. He mounted one of the BTC lead horses and went round the race track. He came back and reported that "The going between the 900 and 400 metre markers was terrible.

There was a lot of water that had collected on the track. Even at a steady canter, and with him riding a long stirrup, the horse was finding it difficult to maintain his balance. With the jockeys riding short in a race, and going at a pace which will be much faster, there was likelihood of a mishap”. In his opinion, “there was no need for the jockeys to take a chance with their lives."

After listening to this narrative, it was impossible to go ahead with racing. The Stewards took a quick decision to abandon the remaining portion of the day's card. A couple of favourites obliged in the three races that were run today. Prasanna Kumar's Spark Of Silver (Juniper-Cristina) made a brilliant start to her racing career. The grey filly looked the fittest in the paddock and received all round support to win the day's opener. After getting backed down to even-money at one stage, her odds began to expand as the horses made their way to the starting gates.

Satish Narredu's Ocean Prince garnered late support to close a clear second choice of the punters. The favourite got involved in a bit of a skirmish in the first half of this 1,100 metres sprint before settling down to take the second spot behind the speedy Brianna. Rupesh did not want to take a chance by waiting any longer. He brought Spark Of Silver with a smooth gallop on the wide outside and swept past the leader.

She lengthened her strides to record a facile victory over War Artist and a tired Brianna. The winning time of a shade under One Minute Thirteen Seconds was much slower than the par for the course. The second placed runner tried to force his way on the inside, but suffered because of this manoeuvre. The apprentice boy had to check his mount before changing course.

War Artist was gallant in defeat, and it may not be long before he graduates from the maiden ranks. The next event was confined to horses in Class V. With the withdrawal of Xel and Sachin, only ten runners faced the starter. Hobsons Choice and Good Gift were fancied ahead of the rest. Gara Fluid set a fast pace ahead of Star League and Divine Strike.

The two market choices were seen struggling at the back and it was obvious that we were going to see an upset in this race. In-form apprentice Zervan took Star League to the front, and opened up a nice lead as the horses raced inside the final furlong. Claimer Khurshad brought Prithviraj-trained Divine Strike with a flourish and began to chase the leader.

The gap between the two began to decrease with each passing moment. Divine Streak and Star League were almost abreast at the wire, but it was the former who got the nod from the judge. Sreekanth ridden Star Gleam came with a rattle from the tail end of the field to finish a very impressive third. Based on today's run, this well bred filly will be "too good to miss" in her next start.

The third and last race held today was won by last outing winner Blue Origin. The four year-old filly completed an encore by coming from a hopeless position at the bend, and weaving her way through a tightly packed field. Despite running on promotion, she was an even-money favourite in this race. Blue Origin was drawn on the wide outside and that is where she travelled for most of the way.

Leading Lady led till the last few strides before she was caught and passed by the favourite. Jamaican Bolt, Magnifique and Take My Word finished in a heap while filling the rest of the frame. Take My Word was the unluckiest of the lot, as he was hampered for galloping space throughout the straight. Amit Caddy needs to be complimented for Blue Origin's performance. The filly looked like a winner in the parade ring.