1

WHIRLWIND was slow off by about 4-5 lengths. Tr Vijay Singh was advised to get his charge passed at a Barrier Trial by the Starters.

ZARAK had to be steadied by Jockey I Chisty passing the 400 metres and switched out to avoid running into KARANVEER which was dropping back. In the process ZARAK clipped WHIRLWIND making its move on the outside.

Tr Vijay Singh and Jockey M S Deora when questioned regarding the performance of WHIRLWIND as compared to its previous run, the Trainer stated :

“ 1. I had instructed the jockey M S Deora to ride him off the pace as he is a very hard puller and if kept a little uppish with the pace he has the tendency of bolting.

2. I asked the jockey to save the horse in the early part of the race like he had done in his earlier start and improve once he passes the 1000 metres.

3. The jockey said that once he realised that ZARAK sitting 3rd in the race was not improving his horse he decided to overtake him at around the 1000 metres. But when he went to improve his position the jockey on ZARAK too started pushing his horse and did not give my horse a chance to gradually improve at around the 900 metres to 600 metres and my horse was made to use himself at that stage of the race.

4. The eventual winner had also had a breather in front and had taken a break on my horse by then and when asked for an effort my horse did not have much to offer in the straight.

5. Ruling Star the winner has been consistent in Class 2 while my horse Whirlwind is climbing the scales and the field he beat when he won in Class 4 was very mediocre.”

Jockey M S Deora confirmed the above and added that if he did not have to use up his mount between the 900 and the 600 metres of the race, his mount would have possibly finished closer to the winner.

The explanations were noted.