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Sulaiman Attaollahi trained Shaman who was ambitiously campaigned over trips that did not suit his ability, showed that what an error of judgment it was to run him over trips of mile and half when his forte was sprint by winning the seven furlongs Dr M A M Ramaswamy Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 75 and above, in a fractionally slower timing than the course record on Thursday at Bangalore. Shaman clocked a time of one minute 23.3 seconds which came very close to toppling the record currently held by Serjeant At Arms.
Shaman was tried over trips of mile and half in the Calcutta Derby and the Golconda Derby and in both races, he flopped miserably. To the credit of the talented son of Burden of Proof that despite being brought back in distance, he showed his ability to adapt in a short time by winning the event which was run at a brisk pace, coming from way off the pace and getting the better of Into The Spotlight. The Padmanabhan trainee who had his share of niggles, seems to have furnished physically and appears stronger than ever before. Despite running over a sharp trip, Into The Spotlight went at a good clip and sustained it right till the end though beaten closer home by the brilliance of Shaman. While Shaman has to be credited for his brilliance, Into The Spotlight should also be complimented for the remarkable improvement that he has shown in his last two runs and clocking an excellent time despite the trip sharp for his style. Padmanabhan has done a commendable job in bringing about a remarkable transformation in the performance capabilities of this full brother to the celebrated In The Spotlight.
Sandesh had no hesitation in taking Into The Spotlight to the front from the word `go` as the front-running style suits the progeny of Alnasr Alwasheek. Into The Spotlight went at a cracking pace and it looked as though Sandesh could be going too fast but the five-year-old proved that he was equal to the task. The pace of the race was such that most runners found it hard to keep up with the pace. Shaman who was settled in the rear group, found all the spaces opening on the inside and came to challenge through a ground saving run and managed to edge past Into The Spotlight close home. Both Shaman and Into The Spotlight should do very well during the Summer season.
Trevor Patel who rode Shaman, was also astride Cold Frontier who covered acres of land in the final furlong to land the spoils in the 1800 metres K Venkatesh Nayak Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 30 to 50. Cold Frontier appeared to be outpaced by the early speed shown by those in front and had a difficult task of covering up the leeway. However, Trevor managed to bring Cold Frontier with an electrifying run along the rails and got the better of Dynamism in the final strides of the races. Corybantic who finished with a rattle very nearly upset the eventual winner because Trevor may not have looked at the danger lurking on his outside as he was focussed on getting the better of Dynamism who was in front of him. A neck and short neck separated the first three placed horses. There was support for Deimus to oblige but the four-year-old gelding came back in distress and was a dismal last.
Rajesh Narredu trained Bergamot had the benefit of a solid forward run and that helped the progeny of first season stallion Strong Suit in the 1200 metres Darley Arabian Plate, a race for maiden three-year-olds. Suraj Narredu took Bergamot on a start to finish mission and had a useful lead going into the final furlong. First-timer Summer Place closed with a rush to add excitement to the finish. The front-runner held off the threat by half a length. Velocidad was third some lengths behind.
Gregory Sandhu trained Admiral Hatsu recorded the third straight win of his career in amazing fashion in the 1600 metres Broadacres Stud Plate, a race for horses rated 45 to 65. Backed strongly to win despite incurring a stiff penalty, Admiral Hatsu toyed with the opposition, storming clear in the final furlong to win with ease from Star Tracker and Masada. Suraj had only the steering job to do on the winner. The quality of win was such that Admiral Hatsu can be backed to win again.
Another horse to record an encore in style was Sandhu`s another ward, Mission Blue who had it easy in the 1400 metres Hamavati Plate, a race for horses rated 15 to 35. Mission Blue had stormed clear of the rest in the final furlong that the rest including the heavily backed Ira were left with a hopeless task. Firing Line was third.
Prasanna Kumar trained St Pauli Girl had it easy in the 1400 metres Vijayanagar Plate, a race for horses rated 15 to 35 with a start to finish mission in the hands of jockey Trevor Patel. St Pauli Girl no doubt had a good chance of winning but the ease with which she swamped the opposition came as a surprise. Standout was heavily supported to win but he was left with a hopeless task of covering the leeway that the eventual winner established swiftly on turning for home. There was lot of support for Barog to show improvement over his second placed effort, but much to the chagrin of his supporters, he flopped miserably.
Favourite Scarlet Princess who had the first run on his challenger Nyssa just about held on to win the day`s opener, the 2000 metres Kalhatti Falls Plate, a race for horses in the lowest class. Scarlet Princess shot ahead with a furlong left in the race and opened up a good cushion which held the filly in good stead. Nyssa made a good rally but fell short in the end. My Valentine was third.
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Scarlet Princess (Y S Srinath up) winner of the Kalhatti Falls Plate
Bergamot (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Darley Arabian Plate
Mission Blue (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Hemavati Plate
Cold Frontier (Trevor Patel up) winner of the K Venkatesh Nayak Memorial Trophy
Shaman (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Dr M A M Ramaswamy Memorial Trophy
Admiral Hatsu (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Broadacres Stud Plate
St Pauli Girl (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Vijayanagar Plate
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