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Corfe Castle regains form to win Golconda 2000 Guineas

By: Tippu Sultan   December 17 , 2018
   

Leo D`Silva trained Corfe Castle showed consistency in his inconsistency when bouncing back to win the Gr 2 Golconda 2000 Guineas, the second classic of the season at Malakpet on Monday. Corfe Castle has never run two races alike and after every disastrous failure, he has defied expectations to win the race. Only the trainer perhaps knows the secret of such a pattern and offer an acceptable explanation.

Corfe Castle had flopped as a strong favourite last time out. And that was not the first time. Every time he has run at cramped odds, his performance has not been up to expectations. And just when he is written off, he has come back with an impressive win. The public was prepared to forgive his last poor run as they were aware of the pattern of his running and made him as a favourite as none in the field inspired confidence because of lack of any worthwhile achievement in their career thus far. In fact, the best-supported horse after Corfe Castle who is a winner of a Grade 1 race was Treasure Delight who had one maiden win to his credit. Corfe Castle won the race capably but must thank his stars because but for the interference caused by him to Indian Pharaoh, there could have been a possibility of an upset.
  
  


Mumbai challenger King Khalil went at such a scorching pace in front that one thought the breaks had failed. Treasure Delight and Mark My Word went with the pace which was to prove their undoing as all these horses were spent forces in the stretch and finished poorly. Indian Pharaoh found himself outpaced in the early part and was in the rear group but midway through the race David Allan quickly moved up on the outside and was coming with a big run approaching the final bend. At this point, Corfe Castle who was in about the sixth or seventh position was dragged out to get a clear run. In the act of doing so, Corfe Castle went on to Indian Pharaoh who had to shift out further and lose his rhythm. Corfe Castle quickened well and stormed ahead. David Allan shifted Indian Pharaoh to the inside and the long shot was finishing on very strongly, but the leeway built up stood Corfe Castle in good stead as he held on to win by a shade over a length. Jockey Akshay Kumar rode the winner. Rikki Tikki Tavi nosed out Areca Legend to get the third place.

David Allan put an objection against Akshay Kumar who rode the winner for the severe interference which could have proved dangerous. However, the objection was overruled. The run of Indian Pharaoh was encouraging if only because this run indicated that despite being the progeny of Excellent Art, he can get the extended trip better. Considering the class of horses that he would encounter in that big event, he runs with a big advantage.

Vittal Deshmukh trained Highly Acclaimed recorded an encore in the hands of apprentice jockey Surya Prakash in the 1400 metres Mysore Race Club Cup (Div I), a race for horses rated 58 to 78. Highly Acclaimed led from the start, skipped clear in the straight which held him in good stead when favourite Isabella came home with a late charge. High Acclaimed held on to win narrowly to land the spoils at long odds. Champion Bull was third. Kishore trained Western Wind struck winning form after 749 days, claiming the lower division of the race. Western Wind swept past the front-running Oh Miss Akilah inside the final 350 metres and went away for an easy win over late-rallying Ashwa Bahula. Favourite Southern Promise struggled to pick up speed and eventually succeeded in finishing second best ahead of Mandy.

Akshay Kumar who rode Western Wind also guided another lesser fancied runner That`s My Magic who benefitted by an opportunistic ride by the jockey in the Salarjung Museum Plate, a race for horses rated 42 to 62. Favourite Bradfield College got into a mess as jockey Neeraj Rawal tried to work his way along the rails which was bound to be tricky. By the time he angled out and got his horse going, That`s My Magic had gone away. Once More got the better of Staridar to get the third position.

The troublesome Monte Rei who showed signs of being a nervous debutant also bolted riderless but was certified to run in the 1200 metres Tribute Plate, a race for maiden two-year-olds. The race was won by Vittal Deshmukh trained first-timer Liberate who seized the initiative early in the race and established a good cushion which held the debutant in good stead. Born Greek who was the most experienced horse in the fray, closed in with a rush but fell short by a neck in the end. Monte Rei did not show any zest while finishing third.

Akshay Kumar who booted home four winners also guided the winner of the last race of the day through Solar Heights in the 1600 metres Malvado Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 26 to 46. Solar Heights showed up on the wide outside and had the front-runners covered swiftly with an aggressive burst of speed and won with a measure of comfort. Handsome Duo who led till overhauled by the eventual winner managed to keep the second position ahead of late-finishing Evon Von Brando. Vittal Deshmukh trained Egyptian Prince proved too strong for the opposition in the lower division of the race, having the race well sewn up a long way from home. Guiding Force was second while the well-backed Solo Winner was left with a hopeless task by the time he began to move, and he had to be satisfied with the third position.

Ravinder Singh trained Yanga who had found the trip sharp last time out, appreciated the step up in distance and easily collared the opposition in the 1400 metres Flirting Vision Plate, a race for horses rated 42 to 62. Sea Castle was more than four lengths adrift of the winner with Sarvatra getting the third position. Et Voici was squeezed out of contention as the apprentice Afroz Khan got into a mess along the rails.


*******************



Liberate (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the TRIBUTE PLATE




Egyptian Prince (A Sandesh up) winner of the MALVADO PLATE (DIV-II)




Yanga (T S Jodha up) winner of the FLIRTING VISION PLATE




That`s My Magic (Akshay Kumar up) winner of the SALARJUNG CUP




Western Wind (Akshay Kumar up) winner of the MYSORE RACE CLUB CUP (DIV-II)




Highly Acclaimed (Surya Prakash up) winner of the MYSORE RACE CLUB CUP (DIV-I)




Corfe Castle (Akshay Kumar up) winner of the GOLCONDA 2000 GUINEAS (GR.2)




Solar Heights (Akshay Kumar up) winner of the MALVADO PLATE (DIV-I)




 
 
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